And Baby Makes Three
by Renniseht Entreri
Summary: Teenagers these days need more responsibility. Some would even say that they desperately need a reality check. What can bring life into focus better than a child? AU
1. Getting The Assignment

"It's amazing how you can change   
two letters in the word, 'like'   
and go from an immature feeling   
to the greatest sensation the human   
mind has ever experienced."  
(I made it up! I've never heard it anywhere else before, but if it IS a quote, it is no longer mine!)  
  
And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter One - Receiving The Assignment  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: The characters of FFX do not belong to me. *sniffle*  
  
Note: This is an AU fic, and as such I am putting the characters in High school. I know that Lulu and Wakka are in their twenties, but  
for the purpose of this fiction they are eighteen like everybody else. HOWEVER!! They all still have their "powers" and things on the side.   
For example, Tidus and Wakka are professional blitzers, Lulu still studies black magic and Yuna is still training as a summoner.   
(She doesn't have to go on a pilgramage though because Braska brought the Calm a year before.   
If this bothers you for some reason, leave now!!  
  
**************************************************************  
  
September 5 - First Day of School  
****************************  
  
"Wow...when they said they were going to remodel durning the summer, they didn't say they'd be tripling the size of the school!!"  
Rikku squealed, angling her neck so she could see the top of the now massive building.  
  
"Yes, I thought they were just going to add on a room or two..." Lulu added, looking to Yuna for a comment. The young summoner  
simply smiled and entered the school, heading for the locker that she was designated at the end of sophomore (sp?) year.  
  
"What class do you have first Yunie?" Rikku asked. She, Lulu and Yuna had requested to have their lockers side by side.  
  
"I haaaaaaave.....Biology first, You?" She answered, tucking a stray lock of tawny hair behind her ear as she gathered her  
brand new books.  
  
"I'm headed for Math...What about you Lu?" The young Al Bhed replied.  
  
"English." The mage replied, swinging her locker shut. She then heard loud giggling coming from the end of the hall, and she rolled  
her eyes as she stuffed her organizer into her shoulder bag.  
  
"Here come the blitzers..." Rikku drawled, slamming her locker shut in annoyance as the laughter and flirting grew louder.  
  
"So I checked him right into the sidelines, ya?" Came a loud voice from the center of the giggling mass. The voice belonged to  
Wakka, one of the star players of the Zanarkand Abes. True, he was only eighteen, but he and his best friend had been  
playing for the professional team since their first year of High School. Their talent was amazing, and they'd helped keep  
the tournament trophies in Zanarkand for two years running, so far.  
  
"Whatta bout you Tidus? You give anyone hell yesterday?" Wakka asked his blonde companion.  
  
"Nope. I played by the book." He replied, trying to squeeze out of the crowd.  
  
"Where you goin?"  
  
"Got Biology. Sir Auron dosen't like to be kept waiting! See you at practice Wakka!" He called out, jogging down the hallway  
towards the remodelled Bio lab.  
  
He walked into the classroom, and sat down in the back, right behind Yuna just as Auron entered. The class quieted as the guardian  
sat behind his desk, briefly glancing at the attendance list before calling out names.  
  
"Darnell?"  
  
"President!" Called the dark-haired blitzball player. He was the Captain of the school team, the Zanarkand High Chimeras.  
  
"One more crack like that and you're picking gum out from under desks and chairs after school. I can assure you it won't be pleasant,  
seeing as it's been sitting there for two months now." Auron threatened, his eyes never leaving the paper in front of him. Darnell simply  
nodded, taking out his books without another word.  
  
"Tidus?"  
  
"Here." Came the blonde's simple reply. He knew Auron personally, he being his father's best friend and all, and he decided it was best  
not to get in trouble on the first day. Maybe tomorrow, but not today...  
  
"Yuna?"  
  
"Here sir." She replied quietly, brushing her hair behind her ear again.  
  
'Hey, she's High Summoner Braska's daughter...' Tidus thought as he studied her from behind, noting how shiny her hair was. He leaned   
forward slightly, it's cinnamon scent briefly teasing his nose before he leaned back into his chair again.  
  
Auron finished the role call, and told a red-haired student seated near the front to take it down to the main office. He then put down his  
pen and stood. No one had noticed it yet, but he still had his Masamune strapped to his back.  
  
"Today we won't really learn anything even if I tried, so this can be...an organizing period of sorts. I'll hand out the course outline for  
the year and the first few assignments you will have to complete for next week. That way I won't be wasting my breath trying to  
put actual knowledge into those empty heads of yours. You've had two months away from school, so naturally you won't pay that  
much attention the first day back. Any questions?" He explained, turning around to write the date in the corner of the board.  
  
He smirked inwardly when he heard several students gulp slowly at the sight of his sword. Needless to say, no hands went up, and the  
class was quiet the whole hour.  
  
**************  
Meanwhile, Lulu was struggling to pay attention in her English class.  
  
The reason for her misplaced concentration wasn't the elder teacher, Mrs. Wallen, it was the constant giggling her sensitive hearing  
picked up from the back of the room. Some girls were chatting about Wakka, who was seated right beside the black mage. He seemed  
to be having a hard time concentrating as well, but he didn't complain as she'd expected.  
  
Wakka was trying to steal some side glances at the mysterious girl sitting next to him. He heard that she was a black mage, and that  
she was going to be Yuna's guardian if she were ever to go on a pilgramage. The guys on the school blitzball team were constantly  
chattering on and on about "her rack" and about how she seemed to be celebate (sp?) or something because she never dated.  
  
"You'd think they'd know when to shut up, hm?" Lulu whispered to him, surprising both him and herself by opening the lines  
of communication.  
  
"No kidding, ya?" Wakka replied with a smile, pausing in his notes to briefly study her facial profile. He was impressed by her  
flawless complexion, and was stunned by her deep burgandy eyes.  
  
Lulu, meanwhile, had figured out why she'd wanted him to say something to her: She liked his accent. She just loved the way  
the Besaidian tone shone through when he spoke, and for a moment, she wished he'd talk to her all the time, if only so she  
could listen to his accent as it rolled off his tongue in it's casual manner.  
  
She shook the feeling off and returned to her notes, copying more swiftly than she had before.  
  
Wakka, meanwhile, had half-expected her to continue to talk to him, but she remained completely focused on the notes.  
Though the blitz team didn't believe she was actually a black mage, Wakka had a strange hunch that she hadn't lied about that.  
Not wanting to test his theory on her powers, or lack thereof, he too turned to the board and completed his notes.  
  
**************  
With five minutes of class to spare, Yuna finally packed up her books and leaned back in her seat, her class schedule in her  
hand. She examined the sheet, and noted that she had Health next.  
  
Auron then spoke.  
"Well, seeing as I can't let you out of class early, you can walk around and....socialize until the bell goes." His announcement was  
met with chair legs noisily scraping the floor as the students got up to talk with one another.   
  
Yuna simply placed her books in her shoulder bag, and went to stand by the window. She was slightly surprised at what she saw outside.  
  
There were 15 huge houses, brand new houses, on the school's property.  
  
'It isn't that crowded in Zanarkand for housing, is it?' Yuna wondered, looking around for 'For Sale' signs on the lawns, but there were none.  
It was almost like they were there for show or something. But boy were they nice houses! Every one of them was practically a mansion,  
and just five of them would equal the size of their newly remodelled school. And the school was, being the only High School in Zanarkand,  
just as big as the blitzball stadium!  
  
Just then, the bell went, and Yuna snapped out of her reverie. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she filed out of the classroom   
behind everyone else.  
  
Tidus stayed behind, jumping up to sit on Auron's desk when everyone else was gone.  
  
"You're going to be late for Health." Auron stated simply, putting away some blank test papers before turning to look at the  
young blitzer.  
  
"How do you know what I have?" Tidus questioned, leaning in closer to Auron, trying to annoy him.  
  
"Your father gave me a copy of your personal schedule so he and I know where you are at all times if there's....an emergency."  
  
"Why would you need to find me if there was an emergency?"  
  
"Because." Auron stated, keeping his stoic mask in place.  
  
"Oh that's a great answer...."  
  
"Ask Jecht at lunch time if you don't already know. I thought he would have told you by now."  
  
"Well he hasn't..."Tidus paused, trying to think of what Auron was talking about,"Well I'm gonna be late, so I'll catch ya later!"  
  
"See you at the next practice."  
  
"Yeah!" Tidus answered, already out the door running. Upon exiting the room, Tidus noticed Wakka standing in the hall outside the  
English room, watching someone walk down the hallway. That person obviously disappeared by the time Tidus got there, because  
Wakka had turned his attention over to his best friend completely.  
  
"Who were you lookin at?" Tidus asked, nudging Wakka with his elbow as they began walking to class. The halls were just beginning  
to empty, so they had a little bit of time to doddle.  
  
"No one!" Wakka replied suddenly, raising his arms in the air.  
  
"Sure. Just keep telling yourself that....Anyways, do you know what we're doing at practice tonight?" Tidus asked, fidgeting slightly  
with his shoulder bag.  
  
"Knowin your dad, we could be doin anything, ya?" Wakka replied with a chuckle.  
  
Jecht and Auron had taken over coaching the Abes when the previous coach retired a year before. Tidus and Wakka had been chosen  
specifically by him, and it was his last desicion as a coach to officially include them in the team. Jecht never favored the boys, treating   
them equally if not being even harder on them. Auron was mostly stoic at the practices, but he became a real "motivational speaker"  
when it came to games. Even then, he didn't have much to say, but whatever he did say was intelligent and made sense. Jecht was  
more easy going, but still strict in a sense.  
  
"No kidding...." Tidus shivered slightly, remembering their last practice.  
  
Jecht had the sudden revelation that when they went up to Mount Gagazet to play, the water would be ice cold. He was completely  
right, and this was a very bad thing because all the Abes had played in thus far in the season(which so far was just practices) was  
warm, bath tempertature water.   
  
Then Auron had the bright idea of how to prepare them for it. They made them put on their uniforms, and stand under a raised platform  
as the entire team dumped icy water over their heads. After everyone got a turn at that, they had to sit, alone in a small pool filled  
with even colder water, teleported directly from Mount Gagazet.  
  
Two of the defensemen, Jarvis and Leathen, were sent to the hospital with very mild, but still present, hypothermia.  
  
That was a week ago, and at that practice, Jecht reminded them that every second practice, even during the actual season, would be  
the same routine of dunking and sitting in the freezing water. They would adjust eventually, and they wouldn't be handicapped  
when they actually went to Gagazet to play. They had never gone there before because the Ronso had never built a stadium  
before. They never felt it was necessary, until the Fangs began complaining about how they always had to go Zanarkand for  
home games. So, they'd spent the summer constructing a stadium, and it would be finished in under two weeks.  
  
"Well we'd better get used to it, cause we're doin it every second practice 'til we can handle the temperature, eh?" Wakka reminded him  
as they approached the clasroom. Tidus only nodded in reply and followed his flame-haired friend inside the room.  
  
**************  
Yuna, Lulu and Rikku had taken their seats just as the two blitzers entered the room. The teacher hadn't even arrived yet, so the three  
were talking amongst themselves.  
  
"Did you guys see the houses out on the school grounds?" Yuna inquired.  
  
"Yes. But what could they be for?" Lulu answered, turning to face the front as a young woman, looking to be in her late thirties,  
entered the room and sat down at the front desk.  
  
"Good morning. My name is Miss Nialla, and welcome to Health. Now I'm sure that last year wasn't very exciting for the seniors,  
so that's why we've decided to majorly spice up the action, so to speak." She wrote her name and the date on the board, and  
continued to speak, "There are exactly thirty of you, 15 girls 15 boys for a reason. Your homeroom was randomly chosen  
at the beginning of the summer, and we've been preparing ever since. You will only receive one assignment this entire year,  
and whatever percentage you get on it will be your Health mark. Now, this project is considerably.....large so listen up."  
  
"I wonder what it is?" Rikku whispered to Yuna, who nodded, and turned her attention back to Miss Nialla.  
  
"You will all become parents for the rest of the year."  
  
Silence followed, and Yuna's hand went up after a moment.  
  
"Yes Yuna?"  
  
"This is.....like one of those projects where y-you have to take care of an egg or something, right?"  
  
"No. A real, living, breathing, impossible-to-control child will be placed in your care. You and your "husband or wife" that is."  
  
More silence ensued, so Miss Nialla just decided to explain everything.  
  
"Did you all notice the 15 new houses that went up? Those are for you. You will be randomly assigned a partner and a child, and  
will live in that house until this time next year. Yes, I know you will be out of school, but it's only three extra months. Plus you will  
all receive a full-package scholarship to any collage or university of your choice on Spira, fully paid for and ready to go, upon  
completing the assignment. Today you will receive your partners and the name of your child, and will be expected to pick him or her up  
tonight. The child will stay with whatever "parent" wants the responsibility, and all thirty of you will be excused from classes for  
the rest of the week to get moved in. Now you will still have to attend school everyday, and a daycare will be provided inside  
the school during school hours. Now, you don't have to go the whole nine yards with the married thing, but you will be  
expected to act at least civil to each other for the child's sake, and for yours. Your mark will suffer greatly if you do not  
get along with your partner, and you need an 85 to pass and get the scholarship. The full details will be mailed to your  
houses in a couple days with specifics on everything. Any intelligent questions?"  
  
"Can we pick our partners?" Asked Darnell, wanting to find out if Lulu really was frigid after all....  
  
"No, they are chosen randomly," Miss Nialla answered. She waited for other questions, but no hands went up. "Well then,  
let's pick partners." She sighed lightly and went over to two boxes, one red one blue, set up on her desk. The names of  
the girls were in the red box and the boys' in the blue one. She reached into the blue box, pulled out a slip, and did the same   
thing with the red box.  
  
"Our first couple is....Wakka....and....Lulu!" Miss Nialla announced. Several disappointed moans and sighs came from most other girls,  
but they still had hopes of getting Tidus. Wakka meanwhile, was kind of relieved he'd gotten someone like Lulu, who would be the  
ONLY one taking care of the child in his mind, while Lulu was praying that he wouldn't have blitzball ALL the time.  
  
The other's girls hopes were stolen away when Tidus was announced as Yuna's partner. Yuna just about fainted from surprise,  
and Tidus smiled very lightly, so as not to let on that he was pleased.  
  
'She's so passive, she can look after the kid and I can go out with Wakka and party! She won't get me in trouble either after I  
threaten her if that's necessary...This will be a piece of cake!' Tidus thought, still resisting the urge to smirk.  
  
  
  
*********************************************************************  
Yes, I know Tidus is a jerk, but this is what I was goin for! Don't worry, Yunie'll change him!  
  
So there's the first chapter, what do ya'll think? R + R and I'll continue! E-mail's always welcome!!  
  
Ja ne,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	2. Picking Up The Children

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Two - Picking Up & Moving In  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: FF X, or anything associated with it, isn't mine!  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
"Alright Class! Now that you've all been given your partners, I will give you the rest of the class to  
talk with them and decide who's going to do what etc." Miss Nialla finished after calling all the names.  
  
Tidus stood right away and knelt by Yuna's desk. She was writing something down and didn't notice him,  
so he cleared his throat, making her jump slightly.  
  
"Oh, sorry....I can go to the Orphanage tonight if you're busy..." She said quietly.  
  
"Yeah, I have practice tonight, so I can't make it. The kid's staying with you right?" Tidus replied,  
not being able to look away from her eyes. Sure she didn't date but damn, he thought, she should!  
He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he did think she was quite attractive, as did three quarters of the  
school's male population.  
  
"Yes, I assumed so..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tidus asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"W-well I know that you're....occupied a lot with blitzball and stuff so I just thought it would be easier  
if I took care of the child." Yuna answered, carefully avoiding eye contact.  
  
Tidus was about to reply, but the bell rang, signaling a ten minute break for the students to gather  
their books for the next two classes. He just stood up without a word and, grabbing his bag from his  
desk, walked out of the room. Yuna sighed, picking up her own bag and leaving.   
  
As she walked out, she couldn't help but overhear the conversation going on between Wakka and  
Lulu...  
  
"I can't come with you, ya? I got practice tonight!" He argued. This girl just couldn't understand, he thought.  
  
"Can't you skip the first half an hour to at least meet the child?" Lulu argued back, her eyes flashing  
angrily as she walked with him down the hallway.  
  
"No! Sir Jecht said this was an important practice okay? Jeez, what can you understand 'bout that, eh?"  
  
"Fine! I...I don't care, do what you want...." The mage's voice lowered from a yell to a defeated tone  
quickly, as the realization that it was always going to be like this fully hit her. Wakka just smiled  
and headed for his locker, catching up to Tidus on the way.  
  
"Piece of cake ya?" He said, watching the smirk that crawled onto the blitzer's face.  
  
"No kidding..." He answered, reaching down to slap Wakka's awaiting hand in a triumphant gesture as   
they approached the lockers.  
  
Rikku's eyes narrowed as she watched the two open up their lockers, and she stormed over to her  
own after a second of glaring at them. She turned her gaze to Lulu, who had just opened up her own  
locker, mechanically turning her own combination with out even looking as she spoke.  
  
"Are you two really going to tollerate that kind of treatment from them?"  
  
"What other choice do we have if we want that scholarship...." The mage replied, stuffing her Biology   
textbook into her bag and closing the locker.  
  
"She's right Rikku." Yuna added, coming up behind the Al Bhed as she too closed her locker.  
  
"You guys are such pushovers, jeez!" Rikku laughed, linking arms with the two as they walked to class.  
  
  
  
  
"I'm open!" Leathen shouted, waving his arms in the air briefly before watching Wakka send the blitzball  
hurtling towards him. When he caught it, it was actually pushed backwards a foot by the impact.  
  
"Wow Wakka! Your PA has definatly increased since last month!" He praised, passing the ball back  
equally as fast. Wakka caught it with ease just as Jecht blew hard on his whistle.  
  
"Everyone in!" He shouted, standing on a wooden box for height over the players. Auron stood on the ground  
to his left side, watching silently as usual.  
  
"Alright, our first regular season game is next week Wednesday against Luca. It's a home game, and I want  
you all here an hour and a half before blitzoff, alright?" Jecht ordered, getting nods and affirmative sounds  
from the players around him.  
  
Tidus checked his watch, wondering if Yuna was at the orphanage yet or not. Jecht waved a hand in front of his  
face, and he noticed that the entire team had already headed off to the showers.  
  
"What's wrong with you, kid? You've been lookin at your watch the whole night!"  
  
"My wife's at the orphanage picking up our kid..."  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!?!" Jecht shouted, his eyes bulging out of his head. Tidus suddenly broke out in laughter.  
  
"No no Dad, not seriously. Remember that Health project I told ya about?"  
  
"Oh...alright then. Yevon, boy you tryin to give me a heart attack?!"He answered with a smirk, clapping  
Tidus on the back as he jogged past him towards the showers.  
  
'Maybe I can beat her there...' Tidus thought with a smirk, 'I'll show her I can handle being a parent......  
From what I've heard from other guys it's easy!'  
  
"Wakka!!" He called, running into the locker room.  
  
"Ya?" He answered, pulling a clean, white T-shirt over his head.  
  
"I'm just gonna shower quick, then we can head over to the Orphanage, okay?" Tidus replied, not waiting  
for a response before disappearing around the corner to the showers.  
  
"Sounds good to me..."Wakka replied, sitting down on the bench to put on his sneakers.  
  
He had just begun to fix his hair when Tidus came around the corner again. He glanced at the blonde several  
times through the mirror to check his progress, and by the third check, he was already pulling on his  
trademark yellow and black sneakers. Wakka tucked the last runaway strand of his hair into the  
backwards wave style, and turned around to find Tidus staring him in the eye. He jumped slightly,  
before smirking and lightly smacking the blonde over the head.  
  
"Hey! Watch the hair man!" He joked, smiling and grabbing his shoulder bag, tossing it over his  
shoulder and following Wakka out of the locker room.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Yuna had just gotten into Lulu's car, taking a seat in the back, seeing as Lulu was driving and  
Rikku had taken the front.  
  
"Hey Yunie! So," Rikku chattered immediately, turning around in her seat to talk to her cousin,   
"do you hope you get a boy or a girl?"  
  
"I'd prefer a boy actually." Yuna replied quietly, staring absent-mindedly out the window. As   
Rikku blabbed on about how a girl would be so much better, Yuna found herself wondering   
which one Tidus would prefer.  
  
'He'd probably want a boy so they can play blitzball all day...' She thought out of nowhere,   
an equally surprising smile appearing on her face suddenly, causing Rikku to pause in her   
verbal assault and blink.  
  
"I don't think she's listening, Rikku." Lulu said with a smirk, keeping her eyes planted   
firmly on the road.  
  
"Yunie!!!" Rikku yelled, waving her hand in front of her cousin's face exuberantly.  
  
"What?" She answered quietly, watching Lulu turn right onto the old road that lead to the Orphanage.  
  
"You just dozed off when I was talking!"  
  
"Oh...sorry Rikku. My mind is somewhere else right now...."  
  
"Gee...I never noticed." Rikku replied sarcastically, muffling a giggle.  
  
  
Ten minutes later, Lulu's car rolled to a halt in the Orphanage parking lot, and the three girls  
piled out, anxious to find out what children they would receive.  
  
As they approached the building, they noticed three men standing by the doors, looking like they  
were waiting for something.  
  
"Carter?" Rikku called out. One of the blonde men waved and jogged up to them, stopping in  
front of Rikku.  
  
"I left my house early so I could meet you here. Shall we go in?" He asked, offering his arm comically.  
Rikku laughed and took it, heading inside with her partner.  
  
"Lulu?" Yuna said suddenly, focusing her eyes on the remaining two men by the door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Please tell me I'm seeing things....." She replied, gesturing with a nod of her head to the two guys currently  
walking towards them.  
  
"Wakka? Tidus? Can't be....Why would they....?"  
  
"Ladies! What's shakin?" Tidus asked, coming to stand beside Yuna.  
  
"Uh....." Yuna was speechless. She never expected him to even come HOME tonight, let alone meet her here.  
  
"Why are you two here?" Lulu asked, shaking Wakka's arm off her shoulder.  
  
"We decided that the first night the kid's home we should be there, ya?" Wakka answered, replacing his arm  
on her shoulders.  
  
"Besides, we're going to a party at 10:30 anyway, so they'll be in bed...no harm done, right?" Tidus finished.  
  
"Whatever you say...." Yuna replied quietly, re-adjusting her bag on her shoulder and heading inside.  
  
Upon entering, all of the teenagers felt slight sadness at the sight of all the young children in the building.  
The fact that they had no families to love and look after them was saddening in itself, but the hope that  
appeared in their eyes at the sound of the doors opening was too much.  
  
Lulu, trying to remain in control of her emotions, stepped forward and approached the desk.  
  
"Are you more kids from the high school with the program?" The receptionist asked, glancing at each  
of them in turn. Lulu nodded.  
  
"Go down that hallway and take your first left. There'll be another desk there where you can find your  
names and ask for your child, alright?" She explained slowly, indicating directions with her hand.  
  
"Alright." Lulu said with another nod, walking off down the hall.  
  
"Hey!" Wakka said, noticing her departure and heading after her.  
  
"Thank you very much." Yuna said, nodding politely and looking to Tidus. Not much to her  
surprise, he was already across the room, flirting with a girl from their school who was just arriving  
with her partner. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him.  
  
"I'm going to get our child now." She said simply, not expecting him to hear her or care.  
  
On the contrary, he dropped the conversation immediately and followed her into the room.  
  
Once they entered, they walked towards the desk and fell into line behind Lulu and Wakka, who were about to   
go up. The couple ahead of them finished, and they stepped forward.  
  
"Wakka and Lulu," Lulu offered, watching the computer screen blur with names and numbers that ran across  
it so fast she couldn't make them out. It finally stopped, displaying her and Wakka's names, and the name and picture  
of a child.  
  
It was a little girl, whose tousled, auburn hair looked as if hadn't been combed in a while. Lulu secretly hoped  
she was better taken care of than the picture depicted. Her hazel green eyes seemed dulled, but not quite lifeless,  
still holding a sparkle that only a child's eyes could possess. Her name and age stood out next to the picture.  
  
"Jade Alexandria Thompson, age 4...." Lulu read out loud quietly, looking briefly at Wakka to see his expression.  
As predicted, he seemed generally uninterested.  
  
"Let's go find her then...." Wakka sighed, glancing at his watch, "we're pushin it with time here, man." He said to Tidus  
as he and Lulu walked by, heading for the room adjacent to the one they currently occupied. He nodded in  
reply as Yuna stepped up to the console and said their names.  
  
Once again the screen blurred, but stopped this time on a picture of a young boy.  
  
He had dark brown hair that fell over eyes that were so dark a blue, they matched the night sky before the sun's  
light disppeared completely, turning it black. Twilight, if you will. He had a scar on his right temple and he looked  
as if he'd lived a lifetime in hell, but as Yuna discovered, he hadn't been around long at all.  
  
"Kieran Anthony Carson, age four-and-a-half. His eyes....." Yuna mumbled, completing the thought in her head.  
  
"C'mon, let's go already." Tidus said, half-way to the door as he spoke. Yuna sighed, following him with slight hesitation.  
  
They stepped inside, once again seeing children everywhere, most of them playing on a large jungle gym set in the middle  
of the room. Yuna approached the nearest worker and asked about Kieran. The young man pointed over to the far corner  
of the room where the aforementioned boy was seated, watching everyone else play.  
  
"Great....of all the kids here, we have to get stuck with the anti-social-four-year-old...." Tidus muttered, sarcasm  
practically dripping from his mouth. Yuna simply sighed, walking over to the boy and kneeling down to his height.  
  
"Hello Kieran. I'm Yuna, and this is Tidus.....We're here to pick you up, okay?" She said quietly, watching with a smile  
as a slight warmth sparked in his eyes at her comments.  
  
"I....I get to.....live with somebody?" He asked in a tone so quiet it was almost in-audible. Yuna nodded, smiling  
even more warmly.  
  
'She's good with kids....' Tidus thought, looking down at her with a small smile, 'All the better for me....'  
  
"How about we get going?" Yuna said, standing up beside Tidus and extending her hand.  
  
Kieran looked at it suspiciously for a moment, as if expecting her to yank it away and laugh, not actually being serious.  
  
"Is something wrong?" She asked, not lowering her hand.  
  
"It's just that....all the other kids said no one would ever want to take me home......" Kieran replied after a slight  
hesitation, his voice still very hushed.  
  
"Well they were wrong, okay? Let's go home."  
  
The boy noticbly perked up at this, reaching up and taking her hand. Her parental instinct kicking in already, Yuna  
bent down and picked him up, balancing him on her hip. Kieran enjoyed this, and it was how he was carried out of the   
orphanage and into the parking lot.  
  
"My car's over here," Tidus said after they'd exited the building, pointing at the red sports car parked a few stalls from the door.  
  
Yuna nodded, stopping at the car door when she reached it, waiting for him to unlock it. He pushed a button, and the doors  
all unlocked with a click. She pulled the back door open, buckling Kieran in before climbing in herself.  
  
*******************  
  
"I don't see her yet." Wakka drawled, scanning the room for the little red headed girl they were supposed to be picking up.  
  
"Leave me alone!!!!!" Came a shriek from the other side of the room, which sent the two workers present rushing over to the  
jungle gym.  
  
"Daniel! What have we told you about hitting girls!" The female worker scolded, watching while her male co-worker picked  
up a crying girl.  
  
"That's her!" Lulu exclaimed, noticing the red hair and the puffy green eyes. She walked over to him, Wakka in tow. He  
recognized her and got the girl's mind off of crying long enough to speak.  
  
"Jade, these are the people who are taking you home." He said, getting her attention right away. Her eyes darted  
between the two people in front of her for a minute, before she stretched her pale arms out towards Wakka.  
  
The blitzer's eyebrow raised, but after receiving a nudge from Lulu, he reached out and took the girl into his arms.  
  
Holding her was like holding a feather, he concluded instantly, handling her with an unusual gentleness he himself didn't know  
he possessed. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder, sighing lightly and relaxing.  
  
"Her father was your age, sir," the worker explained, "and he was killed in a case of mistaken identity a few months ago.  
Her mother was just a teen herself, and died giving birth to her. She'll probably be more attached to you for a while,  
but not to worry, I'm sure she'll warm up to you, miss."  
  
Lulu nodded, thanking the workers and walking towards the doors.  
  
*******************  
  
About an hour later saw both children tucked into their new beds, sound asleep.  
  
Just as Yuna closed the door to Kieran's room, she heard a loud honking coming from outside. She looked out the window  
to see Tidus jumping into the backseat of a yellow car with Wakka, laughing loudly and looking drunk already.  
  
Shaking her head with a sigh, she headed into the living room and grabbed the phone, dialing Lulu's number.  
  
"Hello?" The mage answered.  
  
"It's going to be a very long year........"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Well what did ya'll think of this one? I know it's taken me awhile to come out with, but I just was swamped with my  
other fics, which I took down today. There was just too much for me, so all that's left is this one, a GW/SM Crossover,  
and my other FF X fic, Much Needed Closure.  
  
Anyways, I hope you like!!  
  
Love yaz,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	3. Arriving At The Residence Once Again

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Three - Arriving At The Residence Once Again...  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X in any way, shape or form. DO NOT SUE, I HAVE NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
"I'm sure it'll be a long year, but we can't let them push us around like this, Yuna. It'll seem  
even LONGER if we just let them order us around the whole time. We have to put our foot  
down and make sure they understand that the children need father figures, no matter if it is  
only for twelve months." Lulu said, already tired of her "husband" and his orders.  
  
"Well.....I suppose I can wait up for Tidus to get home...."  
  
"And then you can give him a piece of your mind, right?"  
  
"I don't know-"  
  
"Yuna! You cannot let him control you like this. If you do, he'll walk all over you and get 100% on  
this assignment even though he didn't do anything. You also have to think about Kieran. How is  
Tidus' behavior going to affect him?"  
  
There was silence on Yuna's end of the line for a moment, indicating that the young summoner  
was seriously pondering her friend's words.  
  
"You're right, Lulu. I can't let Kieran be influenced by this behavior. I'll...I'll talk to him when he  
gets home....even if he is drunk."  
  
"Man...we sound so grown up talking like this. I can't believe some people actually have to deal  
with husbands like this." Lulu said after a minute, giving some thought to the conversation.  
  
"I'll see you on Monday, okay?" Yuna said quietly.  
  
"Alright. Bye."  
  
"See ya."  
  
Dropping the phone gently down into its cradle, Yuna quietly went upstairs to check on the  
slumbering Kieran.  
  
Silently opening the door, she peeked in, smiling warmly at the sight before her.  
  
The young boy was curled up on his side, cuddling with the teddy bear Yuna had bought for   
him in advance. He had a small smile on his face, and it only hardened Yuna's resolve to  
speak with Tidus when he got home.  
  
***********************  
  
Cracking open one eye at the sound of loud honking, Yuna slowly stretched and rose from her  
position on the couch. Moving over to the front window, she saw Tidus stepping, well actually, more   
like falling, out of the yellow sports car. He waved dazily to his friends, stumbling down the walkway  
towards the doors.  
  
Just as he approached them, Yuna swung them open, placing her hands squarely on her hips.  
  
It was at this precise moment that he decided to pass out, falling forward and directly into  
Yuna's arms. She stumbled a bit at first, but adjusted quickly to the weight, pulling him  
inside and closing the doors.  
  
Summoning strength she didn't know she had, she dragged him up the stairs, finally laying  
him down on the bed. She pulled off his shoes, placing them neatly by the door downstairs  
as she gathered some cold water, a couple Tylenol, and a small heating pad for his head.  
  
She sat on his side, pulling him up into a sitting position and shaking him lightly.  
  
"Tidus. Tidus, wake up." She said, trying not to be too loud.  
  
"Uhhhhhh...." He groaned, slowly coming to.  
  
"Take these," She said quietly, holding the two pills in front of his mouth.  
  
He gingerly reached out, taking the pills and shoving them in between his lips. She handed him  
the water, helping him take a drink to down the capsules, and holding him in a sitting position  
while the medicine travelled down his throat.  
  
His eyes rolled back in his head slightly, and he gripped the sides of her arms for support as he  
leaned back, almost falling back against the pillows. From several angles, it appeared that he  
was hugging her, but in reality, he was half-way passed out, clinging to her so that he wouldn't  
fall backwards.  
  
She gently eased her self form his grip, pulling back the covers and slowly manuvering him  
underneath them. Tucking them up under his chin, she was just about to exit the room, when  
his grip on her arms suddenly tightened again, and he dragged her down onto the bed   
beside him.  
  
In his sleep, the blonde blitzer wound his arm around her waist, cuddling to her side like  
she was some giant, warm pillow. Yuna tried her hardest to wriggle free from his grip, but  
found the effort futile, finally collasping back onto the pillows.  
  
Somewhere in the very back recesses of her mind, she was quite comfortable where she was.  
  
Defeated and tired, the young summoner relaxed back into the abundance of down pillows,  
letting her entire body go limp as she eased herself into a sleeping position.  
  
And so, with Tidus asleep against her chest, the white mage fell asleep, ignoring her  
mind's screaming protests regarding the young man using her as a pillow.  
  
She was, obviously, listening to her body, which was transmitting something along the  
lines of, "You move, you'll be sorry....."  
  
**************************  
  
"Where IS he?" Lulu sighed angrily, checking her watch and the window for the third time  
in two minutes.  
  
Jade was sleeping soundly in her new room, very happy to be away from the hard, stiff  
mattress of her orphanage bunk bed.  
  
"4:45......'I'll only be out till 2:00, I promise Lu!'....." The mage fumed, "Lu! What kind of  
name is THAT?!?!" She ranted quietly, careful not to wake up the sleeping girl in the  
room down the hall.  
  
Seemingly hours later, the familiar yellow car pulled up out front, the door opening to  
reveal a completely drunk Wakka. He clambered over to the door, swinging it open  
and loudly declaring that he had arrived back at the residence. Actually, it was more  
like: "LU!!!!! I'M (hiccup) BACK...from outer space..I just walked in to find you here with  
that sad look upon your face......What's the next (hiccup) line again?"  
  
(AN: Incase you didn't catch it, that line was a lyric from the song, "I Will Survive.")  
  
"March your butt into that bedroom and go to sleep. I don't want to deal with you when   
you're like this, Wakka." Lulu snapped, pointing up the stairs.  
  
"Huh? Oh come on, Lu....You know you want a piece of this, ya?" He slurred in reply, pointing  
to himself as if her were a prize catch. Sometimes, look-wise anyway, he was quite the catch  
indeed, but not when the looks came with heavy eyelids and slurred speech.  
  
"Actually, I don't, so you can go to bed now." The mage replied coolly, walking into the kitchen  
to get a cup of the coffee she had just made.  
  
"Fine then, BE THAT WAY!" He yelled angrily, slurring the words yet again as he began to  
lumber awkwardly up the stairs towards the bedroom.  
  
"I will...." She wihspered after he'd gone, sitting down at the table and taking a sip of her drink.  
  
**********************  
  
Some time later, Lulu walked into the bedroom to check on her "Husband". She just had to  
smile at the position she found him in.  
  
He was sprawled sideways across the bed, his shoes hanging off of his feet, which, along with  
his arms, were dangling over the edge of the mattress. She chuckled quietly to herself, before  
walking over and righting him on the bed. Once he was in a position that looked at least a  
little like an actual sleeping pose, she pulled the covers up and went to the door.  
  
It was here that she paused for one last look at him. She reasoned that only just this once,  
she would allow her mind to perceive his image as cute instead of replusive. Smiling  
slightly once again, she reached up and flicked off the light, opting to sleep in one of  
the spare bedrooms across the hall for tonight.....  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Well? What did ya guys think??  
  
Sorry for making you people wait, but I got bashed with TONS of homework and I just  
couldn't focus on writing as much as I wanted. I know this chapter was short, but I'll  
make it more lengthly in the future. Thanks for supporting my story as much as you  
guys do; I really don't deserve it.  
  
Ja Ne!  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	4. The Morning After

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Four - The Morning After  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining/related to Final Fantasy X. I'm just expressing myself.....lol  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Cracking open one eye slowly, Lulu scanned her room. She'd never slept anywhere but her's or Yuna's  
house, and she wasn't used to waking up in unfamiliar surroundings. As her burgandy eyes  
traveled around the room, they stopped on an open doorway across the hall.  
  
Wakka's bedroom door.  
  
She checked the clock to her right. 7:00 in the morning. She knew of Wakka's reputation for killer  
hangovers, and knew for a fact that he would never be up this early after such an alcohol 'binge'.  
  
She also knew that she had CLOSED his door when she'd left the room last night.  
  
Rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, Lulu climbed out of bed, wrapping her robe around her  
before walking towards the hallway and the open door. She edged out of her own room, quietly creeping  
across the hall and pausing at Wakka's door.  
  
She reached out a pale hand, pushing the door open a little more so that she could slip inside the room.  
Once this was accomplished, the mage's eyes traveled from the lush carpet up to the bed, to make sure  
that Wakka still occupied it. Her hand flew to her mouth at the sight before her, and the smile that immediately  
became present on her lips was covered by that same hand as she took in the spectacle.  
  
Wakka was curled up on his side, and seemed at first to be clutching a teddy bear to his chest. Upon  
closer inspection, however, Lulu discovered that it wasn't a teddy bear that he was holding so protectively.  
In fact, it wasn't even a stuffed animal of any kind, but a living, breathing organism.  
  
Jade was nestled comfortably in Wakka's arms, a light, contented smile playing on her lips as her chest  
rose and fell with each steady breath. Her loose, auburn hair was tossed over the pillow, one of her little hands  
resting near her face, while the other one lay against Wakka's well-defined chest, clutching lightly to his shirt.  
  
The Besaidian native had one of his powerfully-muscled arms draped gently over her little body, and had a  
very, very tiny smile on his lips as well. He looked like a good-natured, calm, collected, loving father.  
  
'HA!' Lulu thought almost bitterly, 'He's quite the opposite of that....But still....I've never seen a better oppurtunity  
for blackmail yet......'  
  
A smirk wound it's way onto Lulu's lips, replacing the warm smile that had been present only seconds before.  
She crept out of the room, and dashed down into the kitchen, retrieving the digital camera that rested on  
top of the microwave. Running quickly, but quietly, back up the stairs, Lulu snuck into the room once  
again, positioning the camera's view finder against her eye and readying her finger over the button. Once  
she had focused the camera for the perfect shot, she pressed the button, smirking triumphantly as the flash  
went off and the picture she'd taken appeared on the back of the camera.  
  
It was indeed a perfect shot. So perfect, in fact, that it would be blown up and mounted above the mantel.....  
  
  
*******************************************************  
  
**RIIIIIIIIIING**  
  
The loud noise coming from the receiver of the video-phone in the living room was loud enough to rouse  
a very sore, tired, hungover blitzball player from his sleep, albeit reluctantly. The blonde cracked open  
one cerulean eye and glanced around the room, noting that it was the phone downstairs, their public line,  
that was making so much noise.  
  
Just as he willed his muscles to move, the ringing stopped, and Tidus sighed and settled back into a  
comfortable position. Suddenly, the pillow he was clinging to moved and sighed, and Tidus' eyes sprang  
open again and moved down to rest upon the slumbering young woman laying against his chest.  
  
"Yevon on a unicycle....."He muttered in amazement, trying to remember why Yuna was sleeping on him. All  
he could bring his tired brain to recall was loud, pumping music and a one-way ticket to the sidewalk in   
front of the house taken by his face.   
  
He brought his free hand up to his cheek, and winced as his fingers landed on a spot he was certain had   
colored purple by now. Moving his fingers upward, they alighted on a rough patch on the bridge of his  
nose that hadn't been there 24 hours before. He traced the spot until his mind registered it as a  
scrape which he was sure had been caused by meeting the sidewalk face-first.  
  
He stifled a groan, not wanting to wake Yuna and see what she thought of the situation currently unfolding.  
  
'Oh crap! What if the kid wakes up.....? Damnit....' Tidus thought, putting his head back down on the pillow  
and throwing his arm over his eyes. As he adjusted his arm into a suitable position on his face, he felt  
a velvety soft sensation slide against the fingers that had been tossed to the right of his head.  
  
Peeking under his arm, he found that when he threw his arm over his face, his hand had landed on Yuna's  
head, resting on her tawny hair.  
  
'That explains that softness....' He thought, lifting a strand between his fingers and watching it slide  
through to fall back into place as if it had never left. Losing reality for just that second, he marvelled  
at how soft her hair was. All the other girls he'd dated had dyed their hair so many times, it was rough   
and coarse, no matter how many times they washed it. Yuna's was the exact opposite, and Tidus loved it.  
  
Suddenly, she stirred, snapping Tidus out of his reverie abruptly. He shut his eyes and replaced his arm over  
his eyes so that Yuna couldn't see them, and relaxed himself as best he could.  
  
The young summoner sighed and opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surroundings and recalling the  
night's previous events. She smiled to herself as the memory of Tidus taking a nose-dive for the  
sidewalk resurfaced, and she stretched quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping (or so she thought) blitzer.  
  
After a few minutes of careful manuvering, Yuna was standing by the bed, replacing the sheets around  
Tidus as if she'd never been there. She picked up the bandages, cloths and sneakers from around the  
room and headed out the door, closing it quietly behind her.  
  
Once Tidus could no longer hear her soft footfall on the carpet outside, he removed his arm and peeked  
around just to be certain. When a check showed no signs of Yuna, he breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing  
I didn't SLEEP with her, he thought, turning over onto his side and closing his eyes as a headache hit him  
full-force. He kept his eyes squeezed shut and buried his face into the warm spot still left on the pillow.  
  
He inhaled deeply; contentedly as sleep took him, and his last conscious thought was of the light,  
cinnamon smell he knew was familiar from somewhere.....  
  
  
*******************************  
  
  
Lulu looked up from the 'THREE CAR PILEUP' headline on the newspaper upon hearing faint, but recognizable  
voices coming from the staircase. She craned her neck to try and see further up the stairs, but was unable to,  
due to the kitchen wall being in the way.  
  
"Please?" Pleaded a tiny, quiet voice Lulu had to strain to hear.  
  
"....Oh alright. Hop on, ya?" Came a familar, tone-deaf voice Lulu had had the pleasure of hearing the night  
before. She smiled very slightly to herself at the memory, but straightened her face and turned back to the  
newspaper as she heard Wakka's heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. He came into a view a moment  
later, little Jade clinging to his neck, as her tiny arms would never fit around his broad shoulders. The native  
Besadian held her small feet in his hands, supporting her so she wouldn't fall off.  
  
Wakka's russet eyes traveled from the girl's face to Lulu's and he instantly remembered something about a  
song lyric he should never have even LEARNED...... He avoided her eyes and deposited Jade in the chair next  
to the mage's, taking the seat beside that one, which was directly across from Lulu.  
  
"Good morning," Jade said quietly, but with obvious practice behind her words. Both parents turned their heads  
from anything but each other to 'their little girl'.  
  
"Good morning Jade," Lulu replied with a smile, "What would you like for breakfast?"  
  
The girl hesitated before she spoke.  
  
"You mean.....I geta choose?"  
  
"Of course you do, ya? Whateva you want!" Wakka said enthusiastically, ignoring Lulu's quick glare.  
  
'What if I can't make "whateva" she wants, you big dope!' The mage cursed in her mind, unable to  
control the violet fire that sprang up in her eyes.  
  
"Can I have.....pancakes?"  
  
"Sure. I can do pancakes, no problem!" Lulu replied warmly, smiling again and getting up from the table.  
  
"What about getting me my paper, eh?" Wakka called after her, watching the newspaper travel with her towards  
the stove and fridge.  
  
Lulu smirked evilly before she turned around, replacing the smirk with a forced smile.  
  
"Oh yes...How could I forget, DEAR....."She replied, painfully keeping the smile on her face as she approached him.  
  
"Watch this, Jade," She said, opening up the paper as she came up to Wakka. She forced it down over his face,   
ripping it so that it made sort of a ring around his neck as he sat there with a confused, betrayed look on his face.  
  
"See? Daddy's got a collar!" Lulu sang, laughing right in his ear before sauntering off to the kitchen again.  
  
A triumphant smirk replaced the evil one from earlier as she overheard Wakka's muttering, barely audible over the  
giggling of the little, auburn-haired girl sitting at the table beside him.  
  
  
*******************************  
  
  
"So what do you think of this whole Health project they got my boys doin?" Jecht asked, pacing almost nervously  
in front of Auron, who sat behind his desk marking pre-tests from his 10th grade Physics class.  
  
"I think that they'll play just fine in spite of it," Auron replied, looking up from his work to finish, "That's what  
you're worried about, isn't it?"  
  
"That's only part of it." Jecht answered, pausing in his pacing to take a seat on top of a student's desk.  
  
'Note to self--sanitize that desk....' Auron thought humorously as he brought his gaze back up to Jecht's face.  
  
"What do you mean?" The elder man asked.  
  
"Well...I'm really worried about Tidus and Wakka. Especially with this kind of assignment, you know? I just don't  
know if they're mature enough to handle it."  
  
"They're not."  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"You said it yourself, Jecht. And, this time anyway, you're right." Auron answered, pushing his chair back with a  
deep screech as he stood up.  
  
"But, how can they keep playing if their grades drop?"  
  
"Exactly. I don't want to lose them either, but if they have to learn the hard way how bad being cocky is, then  
so be it. They need to learn a lesson, Jecht. Yevon knows you didn't."  
  
"Ha ha. Veeeery funny, pal. Seriously though, should I talk to them about it?"  
  
"If they don't have enough sense to realize how truly important this assignment is, then they deserve the  
conseqences of their actions, and you know it. That's what straightened you out, after all."  
  
"Why do you keep going back to me?!"  
  
"Because he's your son, Jecht. I'm almost positive that he'll inherit the same dumbass traits you had in school.  
There's only one thing he's got that you didn't have."  
  
"Oh? And what's that, oh-enlightened-one?" Jecht replied with as much cynisism as he could muster without laughing.  
  
"Money to screw around with." Auron replied, giving Jecht a look that obligated him to do something. With this,  
the swordsman sat back down, returning to his day job of being the hardest test marker in the school district.  
  
  
***********************************  
  
  
"Hey Tidus!" Wakka called, running up to his blonde friend in the hallway. They had five minutes to talk before  
they were due back in class.  
  
"Game tonight, right?"  
  
"You know it!" He replied loudly, reaching up to slap Tidus' awaiting hand in a high-five.  
  
"D'you think Bickson's gonna be on my case again?" The blonde asked as the two began walking down the hall.  
  
"Not if you knock him outta the sphere like you did last season, ya?" Wakka replied with a deep chuckle. Tidus'  
answering laugh, echoed down the quieting hallway, and was picked up by the three female observers at the  
other end of the corridor.  
  
"Well, looks like they'll be partying again tonight." Lulu sighed, rolling her eyes angrily.  
  
"And on a school night, too." Yuna put in, rubbing her temple as if to ward off certain, soon-to-come headaches.  
  
"But what if they lose?" Rikku asked curiously.  
  
"Even if they do," Yuna began.  
  
"They'll still go get pissed." Lulu finished, following the excited blitzers toward Biology class, Yuna and Rikku  
at her sides and looking just as excited as she did.  
  
  
***************************  
  
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first, regular season game of the Zanarkand Abes!" The announcer, Jimma,  
recited loudly, eliciting cheers and whistles from the full stadium crowd, "We're going to have the blitzoff in  
just a moment, but first some player introductions!"  
  
  
  
  
"I can't believe we have to play Luca first!" Leathen complained and Jimma and his partner Bobba listed the names of  
their purple-clad opponents as they entered the field and jumped into the sphere.  
  
"Yeah! Graav is such a cheater, it makes me wanna....." Jarvis finished his threat by loudly slamming his fist  
into his locker. Agreeing cheers sprang forward around him.  
  
"Well, what if I told you could do that, Jarvis?" Tidus asked, stepping out of the shower/change area clad in his uniform.  
  
"What d'ya mean?" Another player, Lucian, asked excitedly.  
  
"Why don't we get'em after the game?"  
  
"Yeah, behind the stadium. No one'll find 'em til tomorrow, ya?" Wakka finished his friend's thought, an ability  
he had possessed since elementary school.  
  
"Sounds good to me, man! What d'ya say, guys?" Leathen asked loudly, supporting his long-time friends.  
  
A chorus of cheers and nods erupted around them, and Tidus and Wakka turned to each other and smirked.  
  
"Alright boys!" Came Jecht's loud bellow from the locker room doors, "Curtain call! Let's go!"  
  
"Hands in, ya!" Wakka called out, placing his hand out in front of him. Everyone placed their hands on top of his,  
and they shot them up into the air with a loud cheer.  
  
  
  
"And finally, we have our two young prodigies, Tidus and Wakka! Numbers 8 and 13!!" Bobba called out as the   
two teens entered the stadium and joined their teammates inside the sphere.  
  
"Here we go folks! Blitzoff!" Jimma yelled, as the blue-and-white sphere was launched up into the sphere.  
  
Tidus shout up and snatched it, quickly passing it to Jarvis, who was open to his right. Ten seconds later, well  
after he had passed the ball, Bickson charged up and tackled Tidus, pointlessly withering his speed for a few  
minutes. Tidus glared after the red-headed-demon as he swam away, cerulean fire springing up in his eyes.  
  
'After the game, asshole,' He vowed in his mind as a devious smirk crossed his lips, 'you're mine......'  
  
  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Well there you have it, people! The next installment!  
  
For those of you reading my other fics, I have the chapters half-done, so expect them in no more than  
two weeks, okay-dokie??  
  
Keep those reviews coming, folks! You know I love ya'll!  
  
Ja Ne for now,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	5. Post Game Activities

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Five - Post-Game Activities  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Standard. You already know what I'm gonna say, so why bother, eh? lol....  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Kieran!" Yuna called upstairs, "The game's on!"  
  
"Coming!" The little boy answered, rushing down the stairs as fast as could without tripping. He dashed past Yuna  
and into the living room, clambering up onto the navy blue couch just as the game returned from commercials.  
  
"Wow! Dad was telling the truth!" Kieran said, seeing Tidus on the screen. It still felt weird to call someone Dad.....  
  
"Of course he was. He's one of the star players, you know," Yuna explained, taking a seat beside him.  
  
"D'you think.....he could teach me some....stuff...?" The boy asked hesitantly, looking down at his hands.  
  
"Well, we can ask him when he comes home, okay? How's that?"  
  
"Good!" The cheeriness returned, and the two of them relaxed to watch the game together.  
  
  
***************************  
  
"What's Daddy doing?" Jade asked, pointing at the screen with all the ignorance of the child she was.  
  
"He's playing a fun game in the water. He does it really well so they put him on TV whenever he plays." Lulu  
explained, hoping she would understand.  
  
"Does he have fun?"  
  
"Of course! It's his favorite sport, you know."  
  
"Really? Mine's ballet.....is that a sport?" Jade questioned, meeting Lulu's burgandy gaze with her own hazel one.  
  
"I guess so. I'll tell you what..." The mage said, kneeling down beside the couch so she was eye-to-eye with the  
girl, "We can get you into ballet lessons if you want....?"  
  
"........R-really?" Jade stuttered, unable to beileve her ears. At the orphanage, the workers always told her that  
her dreams might come true, and she thought they all had when she was adopted. But now this??  
  
"Definatly. We'll talk to your-"  
  
"Thank you!" Jade squealed, launching her arms around Lulu's neck. The mage sighed and wrapped her own arms  
around her, wondering how she could have developed so strong a bond to her so quickly.  
  
  
***************************  
  
"Tidus!" Leathen called, throwing him the ball just as Gravv came up from behind and tackled him right out of the  
sphere. Tidus caught the ball, gritting his teeth as he saw some fans trying to help Leathen get his bearings. He  
swam quickly towards the net, twisting his body like a sea snake to avoid the meddlesome defensemen. Once he  
was close enough, he steadied the ball ahead of him and set up a Jecht Shot as two players began swimming  
up to him. He smirked, smacking the sphere into the first ones forehead with his fist. He almost laughed everytime  
he did this, performing a perfect backwards sommersault and launching the ball at the remaining player's head.  
  
With the ball coming right for him, he shot up, spinning over ten times faster than the human eye could count,  
slowing to a stop and snapping out his leg just as the ball came into contact with his body.  
  
It sailed towards the net, but was intercepted by Bickson, who smirked and took off. Tidus growled deep in the  
back of his throat, cursing the redhead in his mind. The cursing turned into laughter, however, as Wakka came  
up on the unsuspecting forwards right side, tackling him and sending him flying into the grandstands.  
  
Unfortuneatly, the ball went with him, and the teams had to set up again and wait for the ball to be returned.  
  
Tidus swam up, high-fiving his friend and smiling brightly as his eyes lighted on the disoriented Bickson, being  
quickly checked over by paramedics.  
  
Ten minutes later saw Leathen, Bickson, and the ball back inside the sphere and ready for more.  
  
Just before the blitzoff, Tidus looked at Wakka, holding up four fingers.  
  
'Play number 4....' Wakka's mind registered, nodding at the blonde. He returned the gesture, turning back to the  
game as the ball shot upwards. Lucian and Graav followed it, but Graav got there first. He swiped the ball, carrying  
it off before Lucian could tackle him. Wakka swam by him and held up four fingers, and the brunette smiled, heading  
for the Luca net.  
  
Just as Graav set up for a shot, Jarvis came, seemingly out of nowhere, and snatched the ball away. Graav kicked the  
water, his anger apparant.  
  
Jarvis saw Lucian, open to the left side of the oppositions net. He passed it over to him, his PA almost running out  
on the ball as it traveled, but it made it. Lucian began setting up for a shot, but then deked out and passed it behind  
him to the waiting Wakka.  
  
The fans cheered, as the advancing players from Luca were momentarily confused. Seconds were all they needed.  
  
Wakka reeled back performing a perfect sphere shot and sending the ball hurdling towards the net. Bickson made for  
another grab, but Leathen was there, tackling him out of the way. The ball was losing it's SH, and the fans, and players,  
were on edge, wondering if it would make it.  
  
Then, there was Tidus. He came up beside the ball, swimming ahead of it just as it's SH disappeared, and kicked  
it forcefully towards the net, renewing it's SH to an astonishing 63! It sailed past the goalie just as the timer hit 00:00  
on the second half, making the final score Zanarkand : 3, Luca : 2.  
  
The stands erupted as every person present stood and cheered, the stadium almost exploding with noise as the Abes  
came together inside the sphere for a victory dance they'd made up one rainy day.  
  
  
  
  
"What a win, you guys!" Jecht called over the excited team in the locker room, " I'm proud of ya!"  
  
"An excellent way to start the season," Auron agreed, his deep barotone booming out over the chattering players.  
  
"Now, now listen up!!" Jecht yelled, the team quieting instantly, "Auron and I have to go to a press conference, like,  
right now, so I trust you guys know by now how to avoid the media?"  
  
"Yeah!" Jarvis called out.  
  
"Good, good. I'll see ya in two days for practice alright? 7:00AM right here."  
  
"And I'll see you all in class...." Auron finished, smirking as his older students remembered the assignment he'd  
given them that was due tomorrow.  
  
"So are we gonna go, or what?" Leathen asked, looking at Wakka.  
  
"Yeah, Luca'll be leaving soon," Lucian agreed.  
  
Tidus stood on a counter top, his head almost grazing the ceiling.  
  
"We'll go, but we only get a couple of them. The whole team would cause too much trouble."  
  
  
  
  
"I can't believe we lost to those...those...." Bickson ranted, kicking the nearby dumpster so hard he left a dent. He  
and Graav had escaped the locker room before their coach could make his usual speech about losing gracefully,  
slipping outside behind the stadium to have a smoke. Graav took a long drag on his cigarette before answering.  
  
"Losers? Idiots? Imbeciles? Mother-"  
  
"That's enough. I get the point."  
  
"Well we don't, ya?"  
  
Both Luca players looked up at the sound of a voice they knew all too well from past press conferences. Their eyes  
were met with that of the five Zanarkand players that had beaten them just moments ago. It had been Wakka who  
spoke, one powerfully muscled arm bent at the elbow and supporting his weight as he leaned against the wall.  
  
"What were you gonna say, Graav?" Leathen asked, stepping closer.  
  
"Yeah, we didn't quite catch it." Jarvis agreed.  
  
"And what were you saying before that? Idiots, are we? Imbeclies?" Lucian asked, walking forward beside his friends.  
  
"You forgot losers, "Tidus corrected, a smirk forming on his lips, " Oh wait. That you guys, isn't it?"  
  
"What do you guys want?" Bickson asked, obviously annoyed, but a tiny undertone of fear was present in his voice.  
  
"We just want to put your girlfriends to the test," Jarvis said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Graav asked, taking a step forward.  
  
"How long d-you think they'd wait up for you, huh?" Leathen asked, beginning to circle the players.  
  
"Oh, I'd wager....at least until 12:00, hey guys?" Tidus proposed, earning nods and smirks.  
  
"Why does it matter to you?" Bickson questioned again.  
  
"Well, if you're lyin 'ere unconscious past 12:00, will they get suspicious, ya?" Wakka finished, stepping right up  
into Bickson's face, standing about four inches taller than him.  
  
Both the Luca players exchanged looks, then bolted, running towards the still crowded stadium.  
  
"Wrong answer...." Tidus growled, his smile fading. His right leg reached out and as soon as it hit ground, he was  
tearing off behind them.   
  
He caught up fairly easy, and flung Bickson into the wall as he reached him.  
  
"Tackle me? No no no no no...." He smirked, reeling back and letting his fist fly.......  
  
  
  
  
  
"Where's Daddy?" Kieran asked, yawning with the effort of staying awake. It was past 12:00 and Yuna had already  
asked him if he wanted to go to bed, but he wasn't going to until Tidus came home. So, they were sitting in the  
living room on the couch, watching the door as the TV flashed in the background, waiting for him to arrive.  
  
Suddenly, a car door slam was heard, and the two of them looked up, watching as Tidus once again stumbled towards  
the door. Yuna sighed, picking Kieran up and placing him on the stairs.  
  
"Go upstairs. I'll call you down in a minute, okay?"  
  
"But why?"  
  
"I need to talk to Daddy alone," Yuna exaplined, watching him come up the walkway. Kieran reluctantly nodded,  
walking tiredly up the stairs towards his room. Right after he disappered from view, Tidus stepped through the  
front door.  
  
"Tidus!" Yuna gasped, for he was not drunk as she'd suspected.  
  
Instead, the bruise that had been presnt on his cheek earlier had grown, and his left eye was black and starting to  
swell. He had blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth, and his clothes, mostly his shirt, was torn.  
  
Yuna reached out to him, bringing him into the large bathroom downstairs and running some warm bath water.  
  
"Now, I don't know what kind of wounds you have, and I'm not going to ask how you got them," She began, turning  
the taps off as the water filled to the point she wanted, "Just get in here and clean yourself off. I can see some dirt on  
you so I'm assuming this happened outside....Just try to get all the dirt and dry blood off, okay? Call me when you're  
done and have put this on. Oh....hold still for a second."  
  
She closed her eyes, focusing her magic energy into her hands. They began to glow a soft white after a moment,  
and Tidus watched amazed. The white light suddenly left her hands and floated over to him, where it slowly  
absorbed into his chest. Almost all of his pain was instantly gone, and he sighed before opening his eyes.  
  
"A cure spell," She explained, laying a white bath robe down on the counter as she finished, handing him a soft beige   
washcloth. Ne said nothing, merely nodding his thanks and beginning to take off his shirt. She looked away, turning and   
leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind her.  
  
  
  
  
"Where have you been!" Lulu cried, helping the injured Besaidian stand up straight.  
  
"Out." He replied, not looking at her.  
  
"Out getting the shit kicked out of you?!" She asked, looking him up and down to determine the full extent of his injuries.  
  
"Sure, ya?" He answered, still not meeting her gaze.  
  
"Come over here," She said, pulling him over to the bathroom. She started running a hot shower, and cast a Cure  
spell Yuna had taught her on him while they waited from the water to get hot. His pain went away and he almost  
thanked her, but decided against it, hanging his head and slowly pulling off his shirt, mindful of the drying blood.  
  
Lulu just nodded, leaving the room and heading upstairs. Jade was standing in the hallway, eager for an explaination.  
One that Lulu didn't have at the moment.  
  
"Daddy's tired, but he wants to get clean before he goes to bed, okay?" Was all she could come up with. It wasn't a  
total lie, right?  
  
"Can...can I sleep with you, then? I don't like bein alone...." The girl asked, looking down at her feet sheepishly.  
  
Lulu smiled, reaching down to hoist the girl up into her arms. Jade smiled with her and they both went across the  
hall towards Lulu's bedroom to get some much needed closure on the day.  
  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Hey everybody! Here's a little tidbit to last you for a while! Keep those reviews coming!!!  
  
Til Next Time,  
  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	6. Bedside Manor

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Six - Bedside Manor  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX....Gosh that gets annoying after a while, eh?  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
'How the hell did I get beat up so badly?' Tidus thought, wincing as the hot water soaked into his fresh wounds.  
One in particular was a nasty scrape down his back, caused by Bickson. The red-haired demon had punched  
Tidus in just the right spot to disorient him, taking the moment to pick him up by the shoulders and drag his  
bare back along the rough brick wall. It had been the extreme pain that had snapped him out of his state, causing  
him to yell and retaliate as best he could with a bruised and bloodied back.  
  
The two Luca players proved to be more of a challenge than the Abes had thought, and Graav, obviously having  
had boxing lessons at some point in his life, had reeled back and delivered a powerful uppercut to Lucian's jaw.  
The poor kid never even saw it coming, and was knocked out seconds later.  
  
The others thought it was still okay, it being 4 against 2, but Bickson managed to use Graav as a distraction while  
he went after Tidus.  
  
In the end, however, they had beaten them, sending them limping back to their coaches with warnings of,  
  
"You tell anyone, you're dead!!!"  
  
Bickson had bravely given him the finger just before he rounded the corner, and Tidus would have gone after him  
again if only for that, had it not been for the blood pouring from a cut on his eyebrow, preventing the use of his left eye.  
He merely returned the gesture, before turning to help his team pick up Lucian and carry him to a car.  
  
He and Wakka took the front seats of Wakka's quad-cab truck, piling the other three in the back. They went through  
the never sleeping city, dropping off the players before making their own way home. Wakka had dropped him off,  
and he'd staggered in as if drunk.  
  
Tidus couldn't help but smirk as he recalled Yuna's look. It changed from anger, to shock, then to concern as she  
took in his current state. She hadn't questioned him, however, which he was thankful for.  
  
An hour later, Tidus had finished cleaning out his wounds, and the bath water was an eerie shade of red. It wasn't  
exactly the conditions he enjoyed bathing in, so he pulled the plug and got out, drying himself off slowly. He tried his   
hardest not to disturb any of the wounds, but his efforts were in vain. It had been almost two hours, and Yuna's small  
cure spell had worn off, and Tidus fell to his knees from the pain.  
  
He reached up to grab the bath robe, pulling it around his shaking frame and slipping it on. It was then that he   
remembered that Yuna had asked him to call her when he was finished. He opened his mouth and sucked in a  
deep breath, preparing to yell. He stopped suddenly, running a hand through his wet hair as he let out the pent  
up breath, remembering that he and Yuna were not the only ones in the house.  
  
Kieran was probably in bed, and he didn't have the energy to yell out loud enough anyway....  
  
So, every step an effort, the blonde blitzer pulled himself to his feet, exited the bathroom and slowly made his way  
upstairs. Was Yuna in bed, too? Would she be mad if he woke her? Several questions swam through his head as  
he reached the second floor, but they disappeared as his ears picked up a soft, soothing voice floating out from  
Kieran's bedroom.  
  
"And the knight saved the princess, and they lived happily ever after. The end," Yuna said quietly, glancing down  
at Kieran's sleeping form. She smiled warmly, kissing his forehead and standing up. She turned off the light and  
made to exit the room. She stopped in her tracks as she saw Tidus leaning against the doorframe.  
  
She ushered him out of the doorway, closing it quietly behind her as she, too, left. She went into her bedroom, and  
he followed when she waved her hand for him to come inside. He sat on the bed and waited for her to speak.  
  
"I thought I told you to call me?" She questioned, kneeling in front of him and examining the small wounds on his face.  
  
"I didn't want to wake him."  
  
Yuna nodded, closing her eyes in concentration as she had done earlier. Her eyes stayed closed longer this time,  
however, and the white light in her hands grew larger than before. She released it, watching as it soaked right into  
Tidus' skin and disappeared.  
  
The pain completely vanished this time, and Tidus' eyes closed in relief.  
  
"You can sleep in here for tonight, I don't want you to move right now." Yuna said, walking over to her bed and  
pulling open the sheets.  
  
"Why's that?" Tidus asked, his voice hoarse.  
  
"Because I used a Curaga spell on you this time, and if you sleep right away before it's effects disappear, it will start  
to heal your wounds as you sleep."  
  
"You mean, if you keep casting this on me, and I keep sleeping, my wounds will just....?"  
  
"Heal up and go away. As a bonus, you'll be in virtually no pain with the spells in effect." Yuna finished, helping him  
over to the side of the bed so he could lay down. He slipped underneath the covers, and closed his eyes, revelling in  
the feeling of being taken care of. A memory surfaced, unbidden, to the forefront of his tired mind....  
  
  
********  
Flashback  
********  
  
"Now Tidus, you have to stay in bed."  
  
"But Mom-"  
  
"No buts, mister," Jalene reprimended warmly, tucking the sick six-year-old back into bed.  
  
"But I have to go over to Wakka's house today!" Tidus argued, sucking in a breath quickly as he finished. Just as he  
was about to continue his argument, a coughing fit racked his small frame, cutting off his voice. His mother almost  
immediately produced cough medicine, and made her son choke back the cherry flavored syrup.  
  
It wasn't that bad, but of course, Tidus hacked and sputtered as if was liquid asphalt he was swallowing. Jalene just  
smiled, planting a kiss on his forehead as he finally lay down.  
  
"Get some rest so the medicine can help."  
  
"What's the difference if I'm sleepin or awake?" Tidus questioned tiredly, his eyelids beginning to droop.  
  
"Because if you sleep before the medicine wears off, your cold will just POOF and go away," She explained, gesturing with  
her hands throughout the tale.  
  
"Oh....okay...." Tidus replied sleepily, the slight codine in the medicine taking effect.  
  
"Goodnight, Tidus."  
  
"G'night Mommy..........."  
  
********  
End Flashback  
********  
  
Tidus shook his head, trying to force the memory out of his mind for good this time.  
  
That had been the last time he'd seen his mother. He woke up the next morning, Jecht seated on the side of his bed  
with tears in his usually cold eyes.  
  
His mother had gone to the store to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, and an unknown driver had come tearing   
around the corner, skidded on the ice and crashed into her car. She was killed on impact.  
  
"Tidus? Tidus is something wrong?" Yuna asked, placing her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.  
  
"No. I'm fine. Thank you, Yuna." Tidus replied, closing his eyes and bidding away the memories.  
  
"Alright, if you're sure. Goodnight Tidus." She said quietly, her voice sounding eerily like his mother's had that night.  
  
"G'night...." He muttered, noticing the light turn off even through his closed lids.  
  
"You were wrong Yuna...." He whispered to himself after she left the room, "The pain won't ever go away........"  
  
He knew there was no cure anywhere that could take away the familiar ache in his soul.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He winced as he plucked a tiny piece of gravel from a scrape on his bicep, wishing that Lulu's spell had lasted longer.  
  
'I didn't even know what hit me....' Wakka thought, resting his forehead against the cool, ceramic tile wall. He thought  
about the fight as the hot water beat down onto his back, washing away the dried blood. There wasn't much on the  
Besaidian native, however. What Graav had done to him rarely drew blood. Instead, almost all of the skin on his back and  
chest was no longer tanned and bronzed, but was a disturbing shade of deep purplish-black.  
  
After the Luca players had knocked out Lucian and Jarvis, it was three against two. Thinking they could take them, Wakka  
called out to Leathen, telling him to get the two unconscious Abes out of the way. He did so reluctantly, and only at  
the insistance of both his friends.  
  
It was then that Bickson got the best of Tidus, dragging his bare back against the brick wall. Wakka had charged over  
to try and help his friend, but was stopped in his tracks by Graav. The blonde player was his height and about his weight,  
so it was a fairly even match for the first few seconds.  
  
Then, Graav landed a solid right hook to Wakka's cheek, angering him even more. Adrenaline began to take over and  
he wasn't thinking rationally, simply lashing out at the Luca defenseman. But Graav was quicker, and kept avoiding  
Wakka's lunges, causing him to slam into walls and metal dumpsters before he could stop himself.  
  
He finally got his bearings, controlling his emotions long enough to catch Graav off guard, delivering an uppercut to  
the man's jaw. He was stunned enough to stumble about, giving Wakka a minute to catch his breath and wipe the blood  
from the corner of his mouth.  
  
Then, they charged at each other again, landing punches and sometime even kicks to each other's chest and back.  
  
The two soon fled, and Wakka had to lean sideways against the wall so as not to put himself in anymore pain.  
  
The bruises that covered his skin hurt like hell, and he was almost positive he wouldn't sleep tonight as a result  
of all of the pain.  
  
Turning off the water and stepping out of the shower, Wakka reached out and grabbed the robe, pulling it on slowly.  
  
Ten minutes later saw him mostly dried, and reaching the top of the stairs, where Lulu was waiting, leaning against  
one of the walls. She looked up when he entered the hallway, walking over to him right away.  
  
"Where's Jade?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Sleeping. You need to follow suit. Come on," She beckoned, wrapping her left arm around his right one, and  
leading him towards the bedroom. Any other day and Wakka would have shaken her off with a sarcastic remark  
and headed off to bed on his own. But today, he simply hadn't the energy to fight her.   
  
Besides, she was doing a damn good job of avoiding touching his bruises, a courtesy even the most careful of  
nurses would overlook.  
  
"Lay down in here, and I'll go get Jade."  
  
"What? Why?" Wakka questioned.  
  
"She wanted me to wake her up when you got cleaned up."  
  
"But why me?" He asked, his usual attitude showing through.  
  
"She feels safe with you." Lulu answered simply, walking out of the room.  
  
Wakka rolled his eyes and climbed into the bed. Deep down, though, he felt the tiniest throb of warmth at the thought  
of someone so vulnerable looking to him for protection, even after only several days.  
  
Lulu returned moments later, the tiny girl in her arms, still half-asleep. She perked up noticibly at the sight of Wakka,  
and crawled across the covers to his side as soon as she was put down.  
  
The mage watched as Wakka opened up the covers, allowing her little body to slip underneath. She cuddled up to his  
side gently, as Lulu had told her.  
  
"Why?" She had questioned.  
  
"Because Daddy's sore, and he needs lots of rest, okay?" She had replied. Jade had agreed, and was showing she had  
actually understood Lulu's words.  
  
"Goodnight Daddy," Jade whispered, already slipping back into sleep.  
  
"G'night," Wakka replied in his heavy accent, slipping a sore arm around her.  
  
Lulu simply turned to exit the room.  
  
"Lu," Came the quiet call from the bed. For the first time, she didn't think of the nickname as repulsive.  
  
"Thank you," Wakka said, smiling slightly.  
  
"No problem.....But don't think you're off the hook, mister. You've got some answers to give me in the morning."  
Lulu replied with a smile, slowly turning and exting the room, switching the light off on the way.  
  
Wakka sighed quietly, relaxing back into the pillows and letting sleep claim him with a smile on his face.....  
  
  
  
  
"Have you heard?" Auron asked, coming up behind Jecht.  
  
"Yeah. What could have happened?" Jecht questioned, staring down at his feet as he paced.  
  
He'd gotten a call from Leathen's sister, who'd 'welcomed' him home around 12:30. He'd entered their home, bruised  
and beaten with wounds that were obviously not from the game. Jecht had told her the truth, that he had no idea how  
or what had happened to him, but he had a nagging suspicion that the player wasn't the only one.  
  
"I don't know, but it looks like we've got some phone calls to make," Auron replied, leaning against a wall.  
  
"Not now, though. We should wait 'til morning," Jecht said, stopping in his pacing to sink down onto his couch.  
  
'He's got some explaining to do.....' Jecht thought, somehow knowing inside that Tidus had something to do with all this.  
  
"I'm sure he had nothing to do with it, Jecht," Auron said, reading his best friends' mind.  
  
"I know he does, Auron. I just know he does......"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Well, here's another short little piece to keep ya'll entertained! Thank you so much for all your support,  
you have no idea how much I appreciate it! Wow, 106 reviews! You guys must really like me, lol!  
  
Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the chappies on the way!  
  
Til Next Time,  
  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	7. Phone Calls

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Seven - Phone Calls  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X or Squaresoft in any way, shape or form. Okie-dokie? On with the fic....  
  
**********************************************************************************************  
  
"Damnit!" Lucian cursed, slamming his fist down on the table. He'd just woken up to some bad news.  
  
"Honey, hold still. I'm not exactly a first-class doctor, here," His girlfriend chided gently. He ceased all movement  
except for his mouth.  
  
"I can't believe they actually stayed in the fight! Wakka said we'd back out and take off laughing after we scared 'em  
a little. Are you sure she was telling the truth, Adrienne?" He asked, wincing slightly as she applied iodine to a wound.  
  
"Beth is my best friend. She wouldn't lie. She told me that when Leathen got home last night he was a mess and he  
wouldn't tell her why. I have a feeling that he lasted longer than you in the fight?"  
  
"Yeah....If Jecht and Auron find out about this....." Lucian couldn't even finish his sentence. For him, the punishment  
wouldn't be as harsh, seeing as he wanted to run, but he simply couldn't due to being unconscious.  
  
Knowing Jecht and Auron, the punishment for the others wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park.....  
  
  
  
  
"No! No, leave me alone! Mommy!!!!"  
  
"Huh....?" Wakka muttered, slowly rousing from his sleeping state. The panic-stricken voice that reached his ears was   
coming from the little girl curled up against his side.  
  
Jade was tossing and turning, as if trying to outrun an unseen enemy within her dreams. Her words became unintelligible  
the more she tried to speak, and soon she was practically screaming in what seemed to be terror.  
  
Wanting to know what was going on, Wakka sat up, pulling her into his lap and gently shaking her awake. The tears  
that traced crystal rivers down her cheeks disturbed him.  
  
'What could have scared her that bad...?' He wondered, watching as her round, glittering eyes slowly adjusted to the  
darkness. She looked around for a few seconds, her gaze finally landing on Wakka, who was looking a her with a  
genuine look of concern. She simply clung tighter to his shirt, squeezing her eyes shut as if trying to push the dream  
from her mind.  
  
"What happened?" Wakka asked, pulling her face away from his chest so she could speak clearly.  
  
"They were hurting me again...." Jade whispered, keeping her eyes shut tight.  
  
"Who was?"  
  
"The big kids."  
  
"From the Orphanage?"  
  
"Yeah. They always hurted me," She whimpered, more tears beginning to well in her eyes.  
  
Wakka had absolutely no clue what to do, so he placed her securely in his arms and stood up, walking out of the room  
and down the hallway towards what was most likely going to become a well-known bedroom. He didn't even bother  
knocking, and simply opened the door, peering in to see if the occupant was asleep.  
  
As he approached the bed, he found that she was. He had to admit, she really was a beautiful girl. One of her pale,  
slender hands was tucked up beside her face, resting just next to her nose and lips. Her mouth was parted very slightly,  
and her breathing was rhythmic and soothing to the ear. She had the covers pulled up to her neck, and her ebony hair  
was strewn about the pillows, creating a sharp contrast against the white sheets.  
  
Supporting the little girl in his right arm, Wakka reached out and gently shook Lulu with the other. Her eyelids fluttered  
open, and she took a second to focus her crimson eyes on the source of her beauty sleep interruption. She was about  
to cast a Firaga spell on him, when she noticed the little bundle curled up in his other arm.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting up and turning on the beside lamp. She had obviously forgotten that she was wearing  
only her black nightdress, which wasn't exactly revealing, yet it showed more than needed.  
  
Wakka, his eyes unconsciously drawn to her chest thanks to the black satin number, momentarily paused to stare. After  
about three seconds, he pulled his gaze away and replied.  
  
"Jade had a nightmare about the kids at the orphanage pickin on her." He said, the words slightly twisted by his accent.  
  
The mage looked to the girl, who nodded in agreement. Lulu motioned to a place beside her on the bed, and Wakka  
took the hint and sat down. Jade scampered out of his lap and snuggled down between her "parents".  
  
"Do you want to talk about it, Jade?" Lulu asked, pulling the covers up over the little girl, covering Wakka as well.  
  
She simply shook her head no, closed her eyes, and slid down into a laying position under the covers. Lulu and  
Wakka exchanged looks, and the blitzer simply shrugged, slipping under the covers beside her. As he pulled the  
covers up over his broad shoulders, Lulu sighed and laid down too, wrapping one arm around Jade, who was, at  
present, snuggling closer to her.  
  
It seems that Wakka had the same idea, because he, too, moved to put an arm around the girl, covering Lulu's arm  
with his own. He was too tired to move it, and he reached up with his free arm to switch off the lamp. Either Lulu was too   
tired to move her arm or his, or she simply didn't mind having him touching her.  
  
Somewhere, deep in his subconscious mind, he hoped for the latter.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tidus cracked open one eye, wincing and quickly shutting it again as a ray of sunlight peeking through the window landed  
directly on his face. He turned his head away before proceeding to open his eyes again. This time, he focused them and  
looked around the room, making sure that it was his room and not Yuna's, like it had been the last time. It was then that  
he remembered that he WAS in Yuna's room, and he groaned almost angrily, reaching up to scratch the bridge of his nose.  
  
His eyes snapped open when his fingertips met with no bumpy, rough resistance, and he clambered out of bed, wincing  
every time he had to move his arms, and somehow made it into the attached bathroom. Upon peering into the mirror,  
he found that all the remained of his facial wounds was a very faded, tiny bruise on his cheek. Suddenly extremely  
curious, he pulled off his shirt, turning around so that his back faced the reflective glass. He saw that all of the skin that  
had been scraped off had either re-grown, or new skin had magically appeared in its place. He felt around his back with  
his hand, but all he found was sore, yet untorn, muscles.  
  
Pulling up his pantlegs one by one, he discovered that the bruises had faded just like the one on his face. The ones that had  
been dark purple 12 hours ago were tiny and barely visible, and the ones that hadn't been as bad were just....gone!  
  
'Wow...Those spells really did work....I am still really sore though....' Tidus concluded in his mind, reaching up to scratch  
the back of his head as he continued to stare in the mirror.  
  
"Are you really that vain?" Came a soft voice from the bedroom.  
  
Tidus turned to see Yuna approaching the bathroom, a warm humored smile on her face. Despite himself, Tidus found  
that he was slightly smiling back.  
  
"All my wounds...." He began.  
  
"I know. They're gone, right?" Yuna's reply was rewarded with a simple nod, "That was the intention, silly."  
  
"What time is it?" He asked after a few seconds of silence passed. He was the type to get uncomfortable if silence remained  
in place for too long, so he always kept conversations going.  
  
"It's just after 9:00, why?"  
  
"My father will probably be phoning soon," Tidus grumbled in reply, walking past her and flinging himself onto the bed.  
  
An action he regretted as pain tore through his arms and legs. He cried out as he landed, and Yuna calmly walked to his side.  
  
"I'm sorry, I should have warned you."  
  
"About what?" Tidus replied, wincing as his left leg began to throb visciously.  
  
"Just because your wounds are healed doesn't mean your brain knows that they are."  
  
"Huh....?"  
  
"Your mind is used to having to put up with wounds like that for weeks, but since I healed them so quickly, your brain  
will need a couple of days to catch up to your body." She explained, readying another spell.  
  
"So, I'll be sore for another few days, then?" Tidus asked, watching intently as she focused her energy again.  
  
"Not if I keep doing this," Yuna replied, releasing the white ball of magic into his chest. The pain, once again, dissapted  
on contact, and Tidus let out a small sigh.  
  
"Much better. Thanks." He said, rising to a standing position and stretching like a cat. As he did this, a small laugh  
sounded from the bedroom doorway. They both turned to see Kieran leaning against the frame, a smile on his face.  
  
"You're funny," He explained, pointing at Tidus. The blonde had to smile at the innocent look on the boy's face, and at the  
way his chubby little finger pointed straight at him, as if accusing.  
  
"Funny looking, that is," Yuna muttered under her breath, giggling lightly at the comment.  
  
"What, may I ask, is so funny?" Tidus questioned, looking to the obviously amused brunette.  
  
"Nothing, nothing. Just remembering the first time you staggered home, that's all." She said, her excuse believable.  
  
"Well, I'm hungry, so I'll be in the kitchen if ya need me, okay?" Tidus said, nodding to both of them and strolling  
out of the room.  
  
"D'you think I should go down there?" Yuna asked, walking to Kieran and hoisting him into her arms.  
  
"Yeah. Make sure he doesn't blow stuff up...." The boy replied, causing both of them to laugh as they headed for the stairs.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"You know, Leath, I really think that you should tell them," Leathen's sister, Beth, reasoned.  
  
"Tell them what, exactly?! Oh hey coach! Me and the boys went and beat up some other players for no apparent reason  
last night, but its ok, hey?!?! So how was your night? No! I can't tell them, because if I do, then we'll all go down!"  
Leathen yelled, clearly frustrated with the situation.  
  
"But look, this wasn't all your fault, remember? You said it was Tidus and Wakka's idea-"  
  
"They are my best friends, Beth! I can't go getting them in trouble like that! Friends don't do that to each other!"  
  
"Look Leathen, would you please stop yelling and calm down? We're not going to get anywhere with you in hysterics,"  
Beth asked, placing one delicate hand on her older brother's shoulder. He took several deep breaths and slowly sank  
down into one of the kitchen chairs. He made a mental note to replace them with more comfortable ones ASAP.  
  
He placed his head in his hands, breathing in deeply for a few minutes, not saying anything. Suddenly, his breath  
stopped for a second, as he happened upon a realization. His eyes opened and his head lifted, his hands dropping to  
his sides as he stood up quickly. A somber look then overtook his face, and he glanced down at the floor.  
  
"What is it, Leathen?" Beth ventured. She knew how smart her brother was, so she had already figured out that he'd  
thought of a solution to all this. What she also knew was how far he would go to protect his friends, and these two  
things combined could be hazardous when it came to Leathen.  
  
"Let's just say....I know what to do, alright?" Her brother replied, a tiny smile flitting across his face.  
  
"Just...don't do anything stupid, okay?"  
  
"I'm out of school and everything so I don't have to worry about that...." He muttered, seemingly to himself. Beth  
cocked her head to one side curiously.  
  
"Why are you talking like that?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
"I have to go somewhere," He said suddenly, kissing her cheek and walking swiftly towards the door, "I'm not sure  
when I'll be back. If Jecht calls, just tell him I've gone out, okay?" He finished over his shoulder, strolling out the door.  
  
"Leathen!" Beth called, rushing to the door. By the time she got there, he was already slamming the car door shut  
and turning the ignition of the sporty vehicle.  
  
'Please don't do anything stupid, Leath.....' She pleaded in her mind as he sped off around the corner.  
  
  
  
  
*RIIIIIIING*  
  
One burgandy eye popped open at the annoying sound, closing again as its owner groaned. She rolled over, reaching  
with her arm to grab the thing and put the noise to a halt.  
  
"Hello?" She answered sleepily.  
  
"Is Wakka awake?" Came Auron's familiar monotone.  
  
"I think so, Sir Auron." Lulu replied, waking up completely at the sound of the guardian's voice. He chuckled.  
  
"Enough with the formalities. If I remember correctly, you're a guardian yourself."  
  
"Yes, sir, but not a world-renowed one."  
  
"Good point....Is that idiot still sleeping?" Auron questioned, showing his rare humorous side.  
  
"Just a minute," Lulu said into the receiver, placing it down for a second and leaning over to shake Wakka.   
  
He mumbled something unintelligable and rolled over. She sighed and knocked on his skull for a few seconds with  
her knuckles, finally rousing him enough for one russet eye to crack open.  
  
"What?" He asked, obviously annoyed.  
  
"Sir Auron's on the phone for you."  
  
"Shit." Was the only word he could form at the moment, trying to wake up.  
  
Lulu heard Auron chuckle on the other end of the line, and she herself couldn't help but contain her smile as the  
blitzer got quickly out of bed, fixing his hair and pulling on a yellow shirt that lay in the clean clothes pile on the dresser.  
  
"I'll take it downstairs, ya?" Wakka said, looking in the mirror to make sure the shirt was on properly. That was all  
he needed, he thought, to have his shirt inside-out or something stupid like that....  
  
Lulu nodded as her eyes followed him out of the room.  
  
Wakka raced down the stairs, pausing in front of the video-phone before answering it to catch his breath. He used  
the shiny, black screen to check his appearance one last time, then pushed the blue button in front of the keypad.  
  
Auron's face popped up on the screen, a smirk in place on his lips, as always.  
  
"G'mornin uh...sir.." Wakka said somewhat uneasily, reaching behind him to scratch the back of his head.  
  
"Wakka....We have a few things that we need to discuss....."  
  
  
************************************************************  
  
Here you guys go! Another chapter on file at last! Sorry for the wait, but I spent Christmas with my father and he  
doesn't have the internet.  
  
Hope ya like cliffhangers......  
  
Ja ne,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	8. No Brainer Cooking Tips

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Eight - No-Brainer Cooking Tips  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: It wasn't me!!! I never stole them I swear it! I'm only borrowing them!!!!!  
  
**********************************************************************************************  
  
"You doing okay in here?" Yuna asked, peeking her head around the corner. Kieran leaned forward in her arms to get a  
good look as well, almost causing the young summoner to fall forward onto her face.  
  
"Fine, actually..." Tidus muttered, surprisingly looking as if he knew what he was doing.  
  
He reached out with his left hand and turned one of the four black knobs on the stove, increasing the burner's heat. He then  
moved the waiting frying pan from one of the unactivated burners and placed on the hotter one. The butter he had placed  
in that pan started to melt and sizzle almost immediately, and Tidus took this as a ready signal of sorts.  
  
He then took two eggs from the nearby carton and set them on the stove top near the burner. Breaking them both slowly  
into the pan, so as not to ruin their circular, flat shape, he watched the transparent outer-egg turn white within thirty seconds.  
  
Yuna and Kieran watched, amazed.  
  
After the outside looked almost solidly white, he flipped them over, cooking the other sides for about 45 seconds before  
flipping them back again. He sprinkled salt and pepper on the food items, flipped them over one last time to repeat the  
action, then reached over to turn the burner off.  
  
He covered the eggs with the frying pans lid, and walked over to the toaster on the counter, pushing down the lever and  
concealing the two bread slices that had been sitting there.  
  
"I didn't know you could cook, Tidus," Yuna said, putting Kieran down in a chair and moving towards him.  
  
"I can't," He explained, grabbing the toast as it popped free from the toaster and putting it on a plate, " This is like, the  
basics of the basics; toast is a no-brainer, and the only challenge to making the eggs is not breaking them when you first  
put them into the pan. Simple, really...." He drawled, clearly NOT in the best of moods.  
  
"You're not still worried that your father's going to phone here, are you?" Yuna asked, recalling what the blonde blitzer had  
made reference to earlier that very morning.  
  
"No, I'm not worried. To worry means that you're NOT SURE about something bad happening," he said, buttering his toast, "I   
KNOW that my father will call here. It's just a matter of time, that's all." Tidus answered, his sour mood deepening even more,   
if it were possible.  
  
He put the toast onto a plate with the eggs, grabbed a fork and sat down opposite Kieran at the table.  
  
"Hey!!" Kieran squealed suddenly, jumping out of his chair, "The Junior Blitzball Game is on! Can I watch it...Daddy?" The boy  
had turned to Yuna to ask the question, but paused and directed the inquiry to Tidus instead. He used the word, 'Daddy' as  
if it was some foreign word he'd never spoken before. In a way, it was.  
  
"Of course you can, Kieran," Tidus replied, smiling down at the obviously excited little boy.  
  
"Thanks!" He said, smiling brightly up at Tidus before rushing into the living room and turning on the TV.  
  
There was silence in the kitchen after Yuna sat down in the chair Kieran had deserted, and Tidus grew more and more  
uncomfortable with each passing second.  
  
"What happened last night?"  
  
The question was a simple one, but the answer was quite complicated in nature.  
  
"I got into a fight, that's all."  
  
His answer was a simple one, but it did nothing to satisfy Yuna's curiosity.  
  
"If that's not it, then why are you so worked up over a simple phone call from your father?"  
  
"Because....he's not exactly my favorite person right now, okay?" Tidus answered quickly. A little slower and it may have  
been believable to the perceptive young woman.  
  
'He's never been my favorite person...Hell, I barely like the guy....' The blonde thought in addition to his words.  
  
"Well-" Yuna stopped herself before she got any further. A confrontation now would only make him more miserable, only  
adding to the negative atmosphere he seemed to be carrying around with him through the house.  
  
"Well what?" Tidus asked, almost daring her to say something cynical, like he himself usually did.  
  
"Nothing," She replied, standing and walking towards the living room.  
  
She paused as she reached the door frame, placing one, delicate hand on the wood.  
  
"When you're done...you should come watch the game with us. I'm sure Kieran would like that...." She said quietly, removing  
her hand from the wooden frame and continuing on her way into the room where an excited little boy was watching TV.  
  
Tidus simply sighed, dropping his fork down on top of the half-eaten eggs that rested on his plate. He stood up, carrying the  
plate and the utensils over to the counter, where he set them down beside the sink. He walked briskly through the living  
room towards the door, yanking his oat from it's hook and digging in the pockets for the car keys.  
  
Upon discovering them, he tossed his coat over his shoulders, pushing his arms through seconds later. He didn't bother to  
do up the zipper, and as he pulled on his trademark black-and-yellow sneakers, he heard Yuna's voice behind him.  
  
"Where are you going this time?" She asked, clearly annoyed that he was leaving the house at such an early hour.  
  
"Out," He replied coldly, fixing her with a deadly look that could have stopped traffic.  
  
She was about to protest, but found herself sighing and turning to walk back into the living room. Tidus smirked at this  
and opened the door, closing it unexpectedly quietly for someone in his defiant mindset.  
  
"Where's Daddy going?" Kieran asked as Yuna sat back down on the couch beside him.  
  
"Out..." She replied quietly, hearing his car's engine roar to life and speed away around the corner.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What d'ya mean, thing to discuss?" Wakka asked nervously, trying to keep his composure together as he and Auron stared at  
each other, barely remembering to blink sometimes.  
  
"Well, in light of recent events, we have reason to believe that-"  
  
"Sir Auron?" Came a soft, feminine voice from the former guardians end of the video-phone.  
  
Wakka moved his gaze to the doorway on Auron's right side to see Beth walk through and stand behind him.  
  
"Yes Beth? What is it?" He questioned, noticing the worrysome look on her face.  
  
"It's Leathen..." She started, glancing at the screen before she continued.  
  
Auron took this gesture the wrong way. "Wakka, hold on for a moment."  
  
"But sir! Leath is one of best friends, ya?!" Wakka argued angrily, slamming his fist down hard on the small table the phone   
rested on, "I think I can hear if it's about him!"  
  
"I'll decide if you can hear it or not. Is that clear?" Auron replied, more of an affirmation than a question.  
  
Before the Besaidian blitzer even had a chance to reply, in argument or in support, Auron pressed the hold button, turning  
Wakka's screen to a dull, dreary grey.  
  
"Damnit!" He roared, another string of curses following it under his breath.  
  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Beth simply sighed as Wakka's concerned face disappeared from the screen.  
  
"Now, what is wrong with Leathen, Beth?" Auron inquired, rising from his chair and gesturing for her to take his place.  
  
She simply nodded and obeyed before she spoke.  
  
"He's got another one of his plans again, sir."  
  
"No offense but, what does this have to do with me?" Auron replied with another question, leaning against the nearby wall.  
  
"I think that he's going to go and talk to the Luca team. He grabbed their stadium address off of the table before he left. I  
had it written down along with all of the other stadium addresses so I could get to all of his away games." Beth explained.  
  
"Why would he go to the Luca team, Beth?"  
  
"You don't know, do you, sir?" She said slowly, suddenly wishing all of her words back into her mouth.  
  
"Know what?" Auron asked, his intrest obviously piqued.  
  
"It's not my place to say..." She answered, lowering her gaze to the floor.  
  
"If it involves one of my players, you're almost...obligated to tell me."  
  
"Can I use your phone?"  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Yuna? Thank god you're home. Where's Tidus?"  
  
"He just left, why?"  
  
"Does he have a cell phone??" Beth asked, seeming frantic.  
  
"Yes, but...what is this all about? You sound panicked," Yuna replied, sensing a problem.  
  
"Tidus came home wounded last night, right?"  
  
"Riiiight...?"Yuna said, not knowing where this was going.  
  
"Well, Leathen did too and now I think that he's gone to fix things-"  
  
"Fix things? What needs to be fixed?"  
  
"They got into a fight with the Luca players. Didn't you know?"  
  
"I knew he was in a fight, but I didn't know with who...." Yuna answered, the pieces suddenly fitting together in her mind.  
  
"Knowing Luca, they'll press charges....And I think that Leathen's gone to take the heat off of everyone but himself."  
  
"I'll call him but...what do I tell him?"  
  
"Tell him Leathen's in trouble and send him to this address....."  
  
  
  
  
  
"What?" Tidus grumbled into his Caller-ID fitted cell phone.  
  
"Leathen's in trouble."  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Yuna heard the screeching of brakes from Tidus' end, and several honking horns. A few choice words were used and she was  
glad that Kieran was too engulfed in the game to have noticed her leaving the room.  
  
"What happened?" She asked timidly after the cursing stopped.  
  
"I ran a red light.... Now what's this about Leathen in trouble??" He questioned, clicking on his turn signal and waiting to go.  
  
"Beth just called and told me to send you to the Luca Stadium. D'you know where that is?"  
  
"Of course I do. I'm not stupid."  
  
"I never said you were-"  
  
"Whatever," He cut her off harshly, "Did she say anything else?"  
  
"Get Wakka too."  
  
  
  
  
  
"What's up man?" Wakka said, slightly out of breath from having to run all the way upstairs into his bedroom to grab his  
ringing cellphone. He was still wiating for Auron to take him off hold.  
  
"Leath's in trouble."  
  
"Whadda ya mean?"  
  
"He went to the Luca Stadium."  
  
"Shit."  
  
For the second time that day, this was the only word Wakka could form.  
  
"Lulu!!!" He shouted up the stairs, clicking his cell phone off as he did so.  
  
"What is it this time?" She replied, appearing at the top of the stairs still clad in only her nightgown.  
  
Wakka's words left him for a brief second, but he recovered quickly.  
  
"I have to go somewhere. I won't be long."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Who, When, Why and How! Don't forget those!" Added in a quiet voice from beside Lulu's leg.  
  
Both of them had to chuckle at her antics, but before too many seconds had passed, Wakka had darted out the door,  
climbing into his truck and speeding off almost at the speed dare devils drive at.  
  
Lulu simply stood shaking her head, not even wanting to know what he was up to THIS time....  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*****************************************************************************************  
  
Sorry about the chapter shortness and boringness guys.  
  
At least I proved Tidus CAN cook....a little.  
  
Tidus: Hey! I resent that!  
  
Me: You said it yourself, that kind of cooking is a no-brainer activity.  
  
Tidus: Still.....  
  
*ahem* Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, thank for all the reviews, by the way!  
  
I feel so *sniff* loved! lol.....  
  
Ja Ne,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	9. A Meeting At The Office

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Nine - A Meeting At The Office  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX or anything to do with it. I'm just borrowing for a little while...he he....  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
'I sure hope this works....' Leathen thought, slowly rising to his feet as he exited his vehicle.  
  
A slew of emotions, thoughts and fears were running rampant in his mind. Some made him more determined than ever to  
march inside the stadium and tell the Luca team exactly what he'd been rehearsing the whole drive over. Some others made  
him want to tuck his tail between his legs and run back home. He knew he couldn't do the latter, however, as he stopped to  
consdier how everyone else would be affected by his actions.  
  
He reached up to rub the back of his neck, letting out a nervous sigh of apprehension. Should I really be doing this? He thought  
suddenly, doubt filling his mind and fear of the consequences beginning to set in.   
  
'What if I get in more trouble than I think I will? What then? Worse yet, what if Jecht and Auron find out and try to stop me or   
something? Oh shit.....' The troubled youth leaned wearily against his car, the driver's side door still open. A million more  
thoughts and ideas popped into his head, and he rubbed his temples vigorously to try and somewhat clear the jumbled  
mess of nerves he called his brain.  
  
"I have to do this...." He whispered to himself suddenly, his confidance starting to return.  
  
He reminded himself of why he was even here in the first place, and a small smile appeared on his face. He would do what he  
came to do, regardless of the consequences to himself.  
  
He straightened his posture, slamming the car door shut with renewed vigor. The sigh that escaped his lips this time around was  
one of almost-relief, and he suddenly felt alright about going inside the huge sports complex.  
  
As if of their own accord, his feet began moving in the all too familiar right, left, right, left pattern he knew so well.  
  
"Leathen!! Hang on a second, will ya?!" Called a voice from behind him before he'd gotten too far.  
  
He turned abruptly to see two of his four reasons for leaving the house running towards him at top speed.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, wondering how they could have thought to come here, of all places.  
  
"The question is, what are YOU doin here, ya?" Wakka inquired, eyes narrowing in mock accusation.  
  
"I, uh...came here to get the address..for my...sister...?" Leathen lied slowly, knowing how unbelieveable he sounded.  
  
"Now that that's out of the way...what are you really doing here, Leath?" Tidus asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"I....came to talk to the Luca team..." Their friend admitted, albeit hesitantly.  
  
"What the hell for?!" Tidus threw his arms up in the air, not believing what he was hearing.  
  
"I'm going to get you guys out of trouble, damnit!"  
  
"That still dosen't explain what you're doin here, ya?" Wakka replied, leaning against the arena's wall.  
  
"I have an idea, ok? I'm going to go propose it to them." Leathen explained.  
  
"Don'tcha think you should propose it to us first? I mean, you did say that the whole point was to get us out of trouble, right?"  
Tidus questioned, cerulean eyes searching his friends face for answers.  
  
"I'm going to resign from the team if they leave you guys alone."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Finished?" Auron asked as Beth came back into the room.  
  
"Yes. Thank you very much, but I have to go now," Beth replied, grabbing her purse and jacket.  
  
Auron was about to remind her that she had yet to explain 'the situation' to him, but he decided that if it was important enough,  
it would be brought to his attention of it's own accord.  
  
"Alright," he said, "have a nice day, Beth."  
  
"You too, Auron. See you at the tournament, ok?"  
  
The guardian simply nodded, a small smirk appearing on his lips, his version of a smile. Beth returned the gesture, and  
headed out the door. Once she'd closed it, she leaned against it, letting a relieved sigh escape her lips.  
  
"I hope you know what your doing, Leathen...." She whispered, slipping her jacket over her shoulders and walking over  
towards the elevator.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Carter!!!"  
  
The blonde man poked his head in the kitchen upon hearing his name. He smiled slightly at the sight of Rikku sitting on the  
white tile floor, the couple's three-and-a-half year old daughter Alatriel throwing flour into the air.  
  
"Yes, dear?" He replied comically, slowly entering the flour-littered room.  
  
"I think Alatriel wants to give you something...." Rikku said, a smile playing at her lips when she noticed Carter's shirt and  
pants were both a deep ebony.  
  
"Here Daddy!" The little girl said, getting to her feet and tossing a handful of flour at him.  
  
As the powdered white substance scattered and settled all over his clothes, Carter couldn't help but fix a look of shock on his  
face. Rikku was worried for a minute that she might have really gotten to him this time, when suddenly, his russet eyes  
began to glow with a mirth that quickly travelled down to his lips, which were now up-turned into a grin.  
  
"Come here you..." He growled, reaching down and scooping the girl up in his arms.  
  
He placed his hands around her waist and began to spin in circles. He held Alatriel out, and she raised her arms, laughing  
loudly as the illusion of flying took over her senses. She closed her bright green eyes and revelled in the feeling of her  
dirty blonde locks tickling her face. Carter had to laugh along with her, and he didn't seem to care that he was scattering  
flour all over the place by spinning the girl around.  
  
Rikku smiled warmly, knowing full-well that the outfit Carter was wearing had just been drycleaned at quite the cost, and  
would now need the same treatment again. She also knew that the young man she had been partnered up with was one in  
a million, and would make a wonderful husband and father someday. He was truly the greatest person to have as a  
companion in this assignment, as he was willing to completely spilt the responsibilities, something the average high school  
male was not up to doing.  
  
"Rikku?" Came a deep voice from in front of her, snapping her back into reality. She opened her eyes to see Carter standing  
there, a flushed-looking Alatriel sitting in his arms.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I think Alatriel wants to give you something...." He replied, smirking deviously as his charge dumped a pile of flour onto  
Rikku's maroon turtleneck sweater.  
  
All the young woman could do in return was double over in laughter, hearing the girl follow her in her endeavor shortly.  
Carter simply chuckled, taking a few steps forward so as to hand Alatriel over to her "mother".  
  
"I have to go get changed, then I'll be out of here, okay?"  
  
"Where are you going again?" Rikku asked, smiling as the girl in her arms put flour on her nose, oblivious to the conversation.  
  
"Job interview downtown. I wasn't supposed to go in for another three weeks, but someone got fired suddenly and they  
just called me a little while ago." Carter replied, his eyes never leaving the still smiling little girl, "I'll be back as soon as  
I can, don't worry."  
  
"How could I worry? You're so...so...organized!"  
  
"Well, I'll see you in a little while, okay?" He said, reaching over and encircling both girls in a hug. He pulled away after a  
minute, grinning like the cat that caught the mouse.  
  
"See you," Rikku said, surprised by the embrace.  
  
"Bye bye," Alatriel called as Carter disappeared around the corner.  
  
Rikku simply sighed, putting the girl on the floor and beginning to clean up, a warm smile set on her lips.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"We need to speak with the teams' head coach." Tidus said to the red-haired secretary behind the mahogany desk.  
  
"You need an appointment, sir, and besides, he's in a meeting with three of his players right now," The woman replied, looking  
as if she'd be more interested in a chess match between two plastic skeletons.  
  
"Well, I think he'll want to see us, ya?" Wakka said in reply, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"We're from the Zanarkand Abes, miss. I think he'll be interested in what we have to....offer him." Leathen said, speaking  
politely as he was always a gentleman where the female sex was concerned.  
  
"The Abes, hey? Hang on a moment...." She said, turning slightly to her left and picking up the phone. There was no video  
monitor hooked up to it so that no one could see the coach's face when he made up an excuse not to see the person.  
  
"Sir? Yes, sorry to bother you but there are some people here-" She was cut off for a second, then resumed, "-yes I know,  
sir, but they're-----sir would you let-----Sir!" She yelled, "They're from the Zanarkand Abes!!"  
  
The three young men watched as a small, satsified smile lit up the woman's face as she placed the receiver back into its  
cradle with an unceremonious clank.  
  
"Go right on in. He seemed surprised, but I'd say pleased that you're here," She said to the boys, watching them with her  
overly-curious hazel eyes as they entered the room.  
  
  
  
  
"Welcome, boys," The coach greeted, waving his hands over three chairs situated in front of his desk, " Come in and have a   
seat. I'm guessing you've come here to....reason with us?"  
  
Wakka looked around at the word us and saw Bickson, Graav and Abus leaning against the wall to his left.  
  
'Shit,' He thought again, watching as the three players spread out.  
  
Graav remained leaning against the wall, fixing a less-than-friendly look on Tidus as Abus moved to take a seat on a small  
sofa that was placed under a large, south-facing window. Bickson sat on the arm of that couch, looking almost expectantly  
back and forth between his coach and the opposing players. Once all six of them had fully settled themselves, Leathen  
began, speaking clearly and rationally, as he knew he companions were incapable of doing so at the moment.  
  
"What would you say if I told you that we have a solution to this whole problem?"  
  
"I'd say it's a crock of shit," Graav interrupted, absentmindedly rubbing a bruise on his ribs.  
  
"We all know what you think, dumbass, now shut up!" Bickson yelled, obviously very aggravated.  
  
"I would say," The coach began when his players silenced, "that I would like to hear your proposition, boys."  
  
And thus ensued a long, seemingly grueling conversation between the two feuding sides. Some words were exchanged that  
some would never think would be uttered from one side to the other, and other comments were almost expected. Many, many  
profanities spilled out of the room, falling upon ears that were deaf to the racket, tuned instead to the music drifting from  
the computers speakers in front of her.  
  
  
  
  
About an hour-and-a-half later, the head coach reclined in his chair, folding his arms over his chest and sighing, a smirk  
twisting its way onto his thin lips.  
  
"Are you sure about this? I mean, it is a lot to give up....?" Bickson asked, his malicious grin almost too much for Tidus to bear.  
  
"We wouldn't have proposed it it we weren't sure," Leathen replied calmly, seeing his friends anger.  
  
"But can you really make it look natural? I mean, if anyone suspects-" Abus began.  
  
"No one will suspect anything!" The coach roared, "If they do, these rookies over here will pay the price. Right?" The said,  
looking straight at Wakka, who was seemingly having a hard time containing his outrage.  
  
"Right." Wakka said after a moment, staring right back at the atrocious man with hatred gleaming in his eyes.  
  
"Excellent," The man said, folding his hands together and resting his chin atop them, "You can go then."  
  
Tidus looked like he had something to say to all of them with his fists, but Leathen put a hand on his shoulder, guiding him  
out of the room without exploding. Wakka left as calmly as he could muster, wanting desperatly to smash the antique vase  
on the marble stand by the door. He controlled himself, but only until they were outside the building.  
  
Once they had exited, he reached down, finding a large rock and hurling it towards the artificial lake on the front lawns of the  
massive stadium. His shoulders sank downwards slightly after he released it, and he only turned away when he had heard  
the loud splash of the heavy object hitting the water and sinking out of sight.  
  
  
  
  
Up in the office, the coach and his players sat at the window, laughing out loud at their luck.  
  
  
  
  
"Tidus?" Yuna called, cringing as the door slammed loudly.  
  
"Daddy!" Kieran called, racing towards the entranceway and wrapping his arms around one of Tidus' legs.   
  
Despite his welled up anger, Tidus had to kill his glare before he looked down at the 'growth' on his limb. Even though he felt   
like he could rip the head off of every other person on the planet, this one boy seemed to be an exception. He could still only   
manage a small smile down at the child, as words would lead to profanities he shouldn't hear for several more years at least.  
  
He reached down and messed Kieran's hair a little, kicking off his sneakers once the boy let him go. He peeled off his jacket   
and hung it in the closet, closing the doors a little louder than he should have.  
  
Yuna enetered the scene then, and she noticed that Kieran was poised to ask Tidus a question. Judging by the slamming doors   
and carelessly disregarded "favorite shoes", the young summoner was able to deduce that her "husband" was not happy, and   
she picked Kieran up based on that conclusion.  
  
"I think that Mommy and Daddy need to have a little talk, okay?" She said to him, not seeing the glare Tidus gave her at the   
mention of talking. He had talked enough for one day.... "So why don't you go on upstairs, and when lunch is ready, I'll call   
you."  
  
"Alright...." Kieran replied, walking towards the stairs once Yuna put him down. He wanted to tell Tidus all about the blitzball  
game that had been on TV, but he had to wait.  
  
"I'm not talking to you right now. I need to....let off some steam..." Tidus said as Yuna turned to him.  
  
She said nothing in reply, but simply watched as he walked briskly past her towards the weight room at the back of the house.   
To her knowledge, he had not yet gone into that room to use any of the devices inside to 'let off some steam'. She had also   
been told by Leathen a while back that he only trained with weights when he was really, really angry.  
  
In this case, Yuna didn't think she'd been misinformed.  
  
'I'll leave him be for a little while....' she thought, sighing as moving into the kitchen to start making lunch.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Alright, stop it now." Lulu said, placing her hands firmly on her hips and fixing the wave-haired man before her with a glare.  
  
"Stop what? Am I doing anything to you?" Wakka replied, pausing his assualt on the punching bag long enough to answer her.  
  
"Tell me what's bothering you."  
  
"Nothing's bothering me, now go away."  
  
"Do I look stupid to you?!" Lulu yelled, taking a few steps towards him.  
  
"Yes," He said in-between punches.  
  
"If you don't tell me what's going on right now I'll....." The mage left her threat blank, fire burning in her eyes and threatening   
to burn in her opening palm as well.  
  
"You'll what? Cure me again? Give me a fucking break!" This time Wakka landed a hard kick to the bag to punctuate his   
forecful statement.  
  
Unfortunatley for him, he had forgotten that the woman before him was a high-level magic-user, and at the moment she was   
very angry with him. If he had been thinking, he would have realized that this was a very bad combination.  
  
He continued to throw punches at the bag vigorously, until suddenly his fists met with a hard chunk of ice. He bit back a cry of   
pain and looked down at his reddened knuckles, muttering a curse under his breath.  
  
A whole string of curses, however, flew around in his mind when he saw the smirk plastered on Lulu's face. Her expression   
grew as she saw him take notice of the slowly rotating ball of ice floating a inch above her palm.  
  
Alright, alright. Pushy bitch...." Wakka muttered, turning to face her after stepping out of the way of the swinging icicle.  
  
"What was that?" She growled, the ball of ice growing larger.  
  
"Do you want to hear this or not, ya?" Wakka countered, almost smirking himself as her palm lowered and the ice disappeared,   
"You know that tournament coming up in about two weeks?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Yes, I know the one." Yuna said, watching Tidus' arm muscles contract and relax as he lifted the 20 pound barbell up and down.  
  
"Well, he went to go see Luca today and we had a little chat."  
  
"About what?"  
  
Yuna's question was met with silence, the only sound being the barbell lightly touching the floor when Tidus allowed it to do so.  
  
"Chatted about what Tidus?"  
  
Silence again.  
  
"Tidus? Answer me."  
  
"We're gonna throw it okay?!" Tidus yelled suddenly, chucking the weight forcefully into the wall, leaving a fair-size dent.  
  
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked, only a little surprised at the outburst. She'd seen it coming when he had squeezed his eyes  
shut at her questioning.  
  
"They're going to drop the charges and we're......"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"You're what? Tell me already!" Lulu said, becoming annoyed with Wakka's evasive answers.  
  
"We're going to lose the tournament for the first time in 27 years!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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How will the girls react?  
  
More importantly, how will Jecht and Auron react come tournament day?  
  
Stay tuned to find out!!!  
  
  
  
Thanks for all your continued support! You guys are *sniff* the greastest!  
  
Ja ne,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	10. A Heated Moment

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Ten - A Heated Moment  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX. Simple enough for ya? lol......  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
"I take it, from your attitude, that you don't want to lose?" Lulu asked, almost cynically.  
  
"What the hell do you think?!?!" Wakka shouted back.  
  
"Well then why did you agree to the deal?!" Lulu yelled in return, as she felt her face flushing with anger.  
  
"What other choice did we have?" Wakka questioned, more to himself than to the mage before him.  
  
"They were going to press charges, right?"  
  
"Yeah..." He grumbled in reply.  
  
"So, if they said anything, your whole team would be suspended, riiiight?" Lulu inquired, beginning to pace back and forth.  
  
"Right."  
  
"So you're right; You didn't have any other alternative than to agree."  
  
"Exactly! Why you up in my case then, ya??" Wakka replied, his thick accent shining through once again.  
  
"Because I......" Lulu seemed at a loss for words, "I.....needed to vent." She admitted at last.  
  
"That's all? You're takin this out on me...cause you need to VENT?" Wakka asked, stepping closer to her.  
  
"Right before you came in I was going to hit the punching bag, but now...." She gestured towards the hanging icicle with a  
very slight, but still present smile.  
  
After looking as if thought for a moment, Wakka spoke up, "Use me instead."  
  
"Excuse me?" Lulu said, one eyebrow raised questioningly.  
  
"You said you wanna vent, right?" He continued at her nod, "So vent on me."  
  
"You mean...like hit you?"  
  
"Yeah. Come on; show me what you got, ya?" Wakka said with a smile, getting into a mock fighting poistion.  
  
"I'm not going to hit you, Wakka." Lulu laughed, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Yes you are. Come on, come on! Hit me."  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on, Lu! Hit me!"  
  
'There's that nickname again....' She thought. The idea of the endearment not being so bad surfaced into her mind, and she  
almost let it stay afloat.......  
  
"Wimp!"  
  
......and it gets crushed again.  
  
"You know what?" The mage said, a violet fire igniting in her eyes.  
  
"What, loser?" Wakka teased, a smirk plastered on his face.  
  
"You want me to rant? Like, really want me to?"  
  
"Ya...Yeah I do."  
  
"Alright...fine!"   
  
With this, she charged forward, her fists flying with more fury than Wakka imagined she'd have. When her punches landed, they  
were solid, but they didn't exactly knock him off his feet.  
  
At first, he pretended to fight back, occasionally throwing in a punch here and there, but it was mostly her that inflicted damage.  
Her grunts of 'attack' soon faded into small gasp-like breaths, and it was then that Wakka noticied the change that had taken  
place right under his nose.  
  
In the few minutes they had been fighting, Lulu had been ranting to herself quietly, beating on the Besaidian native whilst she  
did so. But now, her punches were few-and-far-between, and her words rang out louder than they did before.  
  
"....Stupid...pilgramage... I don't wanna go! And I...can't...figure...out...how to....be ...a...good...parent.....and ...what if I....  
let Yuna down and...then.....I...........fail her.........too....."  
  
The message behind the voiced thoughts was clear, and Wakka finally realized why Lulu had such a gloomy personality. She  
was only 18 years old, and she was piled with too many things to be healthy.  
  
First, the pilgramage had been weighing on her since day one; It had totally slipped Wakka's mind, however. Secondly, having  
to contend with a little girl who wanted ballet lessons and 'good parents'. And lastly.....Lulu had to deal with him.  
  
Angry tears streaked down Lulu's ashen cheeks as all of her anger and frustration poured out through her mouth and slowly  
moving fists against Wakka's chest. She had never felt so relieved in a long while, but at the same time she felt very, very  
embarrassed as she took into account that Wakka had two ears had could understand all that she was saying.  
  
She stopped her assault on his chest, looking up into deep russet eyes that suddenly relfected kindness in the place of their  
usual sarcasm. The mage found herself at once entranced by those eyes, and discovered that she really liked them, despite  
what her mind was screaming at her.  
  
"Lu?" Wakka's voice was soft, and he was surprised to find himself smiling down at her when she acknowledged the nickname.  
  
"Yeah?" She replied, in a voice she was convinced was not her own.  
  
"I'm....really sorry, ya?" He said quietly, leaning forward of his own accord.  
  
"I forgive you...." She answered, rising slightly on her toes to meet him.  
  
Their lips met, softly at first, in a shy gesture of held-back attraction. The brushing of skin against skin in such an intimate  
way sent shivers chasing each other up and down Lulu's spine, and her slender hand found itself resting against Wakka's  
clean-shaven cheek before her mind registered what had transpired. Wakka's hand settled in the small of her back, the other  
one choosing to head north and come to rest at the back of her neck, cradling her head comfortingly.  
  
The passion in their kisses increased ever-so-slightly, and Wakka found himself unable to pull away from her intoxicating  
scent. Lulu, meanwhile, was completely enraptured by his every touch, and his embrace was simply entrancing. Every time  
her fingertips traced his arm, white-hot sparks of electricity flew up his limb, sending his mind into a glorious haze.  
  
As they finally separated, they looked into each others eyes and................  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Well at least they're going to drop the charges, right?" Yuna offered, watching as Tidus' chest rose and fell with each of his   
anger-labored breaths. Truth be told, even though his previous display of anger had not surprised her, it still frightened her  
that he was capable of such things on a whim.  
  
"....That's not the point!" He growled, whipping his head up to meet her gaze, "Luca's going to beat us at the one thing we're not  
supposed to lose! They'll never let us live it down...." He added the last part as an after-thought, more so to himself than to the  
silent woman before him.  
  
"I don't understand..." Yuna ventured after a moment, "Why are you getting so worked up over this? You don't have to go to  
jail anymore, and all you can think about is this stupid tournament?"  
  
"Stupid!?! You don't have any idea-" He paused in his ranting, shaking his head and turning away, "Forget it; I wouldn't expect  
you to understand anyway.........Where's Kieran?"  
  
At this question, Yuna's attention was piqued, and she had to wonder aloud about his sudden desire to know about the boy that  
had been entrusted into their care. She cocked her head to one side, raising one thin eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"He's upstairs in his room, why?"  
  
"I want to take him somewhere." At first, Tidus was going to leave it at that, but for some reason he continued, "I'm going to  
go to the blitzball stadium and practice a little before our next game, and I think he'd want to come with me."  
  
Yuna was surprised by Tidus' actions in letting her know right away where he intended to go. In a way, she supposed she was  
proud of him for adjusting like that after only a short while.  
  
"I think he would love that. Why don't you go get something to drink, and I'll go get him ready, okay?" She said, smiling a little  
towards the flaxen-haired sports star.  
  
Much of his own accord, the athlete found that he was smiling right back, if only slightly. As the young summoner turned and left  
the room, Tidus thought briefly about what could have happened had she not been there for him to rant to.  
  
He most likely would have found the nearest bar and gotten himself completely smashed, so as to try and rid himself of the  
horrible feeling of knowing that he was going to lose to Luca. Luca, of all people! He would have drowned in his own self pity,  
and stumbled home in a drunken-fit like he had a few days ago, spewing random details about Luca that really didn't effect the  
situation at all. He'd mumble to himself and become convinced in a heartbeat that going to jail was better than losing to Luca.  
  
Tidus shook his head, reaching up to rub one of his temples wearily. A lot could have happened, but thanks to Yuna, it didn't.  
  
Maybe now he would look at her in a different light? he thought. Then again...maybe not.  
  
  
  
"Kieran?" Yuna called gently upstairs, reaching the top step and peering around the corner.  
  
"Yeah?" Came the reply, a faint, barely audible one from a room down the hallway.  
  
Smiling to herself, she continued walking down the corridor, glancing to her sides to observe the paintings placed there for the  
single purpose of looking nice. The one portraying a vase of roses was her favorite; She couldn't recall the artist at the moment.  
  
"Can I come in?" She asked, knocking lightly on the white door.  
  
"Yeah, sure!" Kieran answered, appearing in the doorway as Yuna opened the said door slightly.  
  
"Guess what?" She said, kneeling down on the carpeted floor beside him. When he looked at her expectantly, deep prussian  
eyes shining with question, she continued, "Daddy's going to go practice at the stadium, and he wants you to go with him. What  
do you think of that?"  
  
"Really?" He asked, seemingly astonished at the question.  
  
"Really really."  
  
"Yeah! Yeah, I wanna go!" He replied enthusiastically, a broad smile lighting his face.  
  
"Well, get ready then, silly!" Yuna said, smiling warmly at the excited child before her rushing around the room searching for the  
right outfit to wear...  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Tidus had calmed himself down enough to walk over to the phone and pick it up. He dialed the familiar number of  
his home stadium, and waited as one...then two...then three rings sounded before a voice answered.  
  
"Zanarkand Memorial Blitzball Stadium. How may I help you?" Came the voice.  
  
"Hey Taylor, it's me; Tidus."  
  
"Oh hey man! You still coming out today? I got the sphere up and running for you, like you asked."  
  
"Yeah, I'm still coming, thanks. I'm bringing my son with me." Tidus thought for a second he detected a small hint of pride in  
his voice at that statement, but he concluded that it was probably just his frazzled nerves over-working themselves.  
  
"Your son? I didn't know you had a son, Tidus!" Taylor replied, feeling slightly hurt that his friend hadn't told him prior to this.  
  
"No, he's not really my son, Tay. Haven't you heard of the project they're doing with the high school? They put you in pairs,  
give you a kid and let you take care of it for a year. Mine really likes blitz, so I'm bringing him with me." Tidus explained.  
  
"Ohhhh. Now I get it," Taylor said with a smile, "Why don't you bring the wife? You're not sick of her already, are you?"  
  
Tidus was silent for a moment in answer, and he turned to the stairs at the sound of voices. He saw Yuna, walking hand in hand  
with Kieran towards the door, smiling brightly as she went. Kieran looked like Christmas had come early.  
  
"You know what? I think I will. See you in a bit."  
  
"Alright. See ya, Tidus!" Taylor hung up his end of the line, leaving Tidus to do the same.  
  
"You be good, okay?" Yuna aid to Kieran as Tidus approached them.  
  
"Why don't you make sure he behaves?" Tidus asked, a slight smirk twisting its way onto his lips.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Can Mommy come with us?!" Kieran suddenly ventured, hoping to be met with a smile and a nod.  
  
"You know, that is exactly what I was going to suggest," Tidus said, not removing his gaze from Yuna as he spoke, " I think it'd  
be a great idea if Mommy came with us. The question is...does she want to?"  
  
After a momentary silence, Yuna replied, "I'd love to."  
  
"Let's go then! Come on!" Kieran said, grabbing Yuna's hand and dragging her out the door.  
  
Tidus chuckled at the child's enthusiasm, grabbing his shoes and keys and walking through the open door. He closed and locked   
it behind him, and made his way over to his vehicle, where Kieran was currently trying to use his 'mind powers' to make the car  
door unlock. Tidus used his own magic, pushing the button on his remote that unlocked all the doors.  
  
Not seeing this quick movement, Kieran jumped in delight, "Look what I did! I made the doors open Mommy!"  
  
"Yes you did, Kieran," She replied, glancing up to meet Tidus gaze as he slipped into the driver's seat, "Yes you did...."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
...............promptly pulled away from each other.  
  
Lulu was looking wide-eyed at Wakka, whose mouth was still open very slightly, with wonder and was appeared to be anger.  
  
"You sick bastard!" She cried, her eyes narrowing, "You took advantage of me!"  
  
"What?!" Wakka roared, "You kissed me back, ya?!"  
  
"Well you shouldn't have even started it, pervert!" She yelled again, a crimson fire sparking in her eyes. She was clearly angry.  
  
"How do you know I started it?! I think it was you! You've probably had a thing for me since we met!" Wakka replied, a fire  
burning in his own russet eyes at the accusation.  
  
"You think I wouldn honestly have a thing for YOU?! I've never been so insul-"  
  
"Why are you yelling?"  
  
The quiet voice stopped the mage mid-sentence, and they both turned to see Jade standing in the doorway. The confused look  
in her viridian eyes was enough to make Lulu want to burst into tears from the frustration of it all.  
  
Why were you yelling at each other, Daddy?" The girl posed her question again.  
  
The only problem was.......  
  
.....neither of them had any words for the situation at hand......  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Well, what did you guys think this time? I hope you didn't mind the wait too much, I'll try to shorten it from now on!  
  
Thanks again for all your continued support! Over 200 reviews?!?! Gosh...I'm speechless.....  
  
Well, not really SPEECHLESS, but definatly flattered! Keep reviewing and I'll keep posting!  
  
  
  
  
Laterz,  
Digi-Ecsa Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	11. Sphere Pools & Apologies

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Eleven - Sphere Pools & Apologies  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX or anything associated with it; I'm just borrowing it for a little while (-_^)  
  
***************************************************************************************  
  
Most of the ten-minute car ride to the stadium was silent, despite the fact that little Kieran was positively buzzing with  
excitement. He had never seen the inside of the Zanarkand Memorial Stadium before, with the exception of one or two TV  
interviews he'd been allowed to watch at the orphanage. He couldn't have been more happy at the moment, and it was all he  
could do to keep from wondering out loud why his parents didn't seem as excited as he was.  
  
Yuna was simply staring out the window, looking like a nervous teenager at the police station. She was sitting with her back  
straight, hands in her lap, eyes near unblinking, as if statue-like. She hadn't said a word since they'd left the house, and she  
was giving off the impression that she didn't want to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing. As to the reason why she was  
as nervous-looking as she was, no one could tell for sure.  
  
Tidus was the same way, except he couldn't just stare off into space because he was driving. His hands were kept firmly on the  
steering wheel at all times, and they never moved from their 10 and 2 o'clock positions. He seemed so intently focused that  
not even the car full of screeching female fans that rolled up beside them at a stop light pulled his attention away from the  
stretch of road ahead of him. He simply hit the gas when the light turned green, and left them in the dust, so to speak.  
  
After about ten minutes, the stadium came into view, and suddenly, the mood inside the vehicle changed dramatically. Yuna  
seemed more relaxed; she was now resting her cheek in her hand and was looking forward instead of off to the side. A slight  
smile was also present on her face, and she appeared to be more calm than she was before. Tidus was also more relaxed,  
and looked relieved that the enormous structure was finally looming ahead of them, drawing ever closer. Kieran was more  
excited than he'd ever been in his life, but inside, a tiny little voice was gnawing at him, saying things like 'He's gonna turn  
around any second now....This isn't happening; Nothing good ever happens to you....'. The boy simply shook his head, clearing  
the thoughts and focusing on the building before him.  
  
As Tidus pulled into a parking spot, Kieran already had his seatbelt off and was leaning against the door, as if ready to leap  
out at any second. The minute the car slowed to a halt, he was out the door and literally bouncing beside Yuna's own door,  
anxiously waiting for her to exit and stand beside him. She did so, and once Tidus had locked the vehicle up, the three of them  
were walking in a straight line towards the stadium.  
  
As they entered, Yuna caught sight of a young, blonde man behind the front desk that looked up and smiled at Tidus. They  
approached, and Tidus leaned up against the desk, a smile on his own face as well.  
  
"Hey Taylor," He said in greeting, "This is Yuna, and Kieran," He explained, motioning to each of them in turn.  
  
"Brought the whole family today, hey?" Taylor teased, rifling through some files on his computer as he spoke. After about a  
minute, he turned to the printer, picking up several sheets that were 'hot off the press'. He turned back to his friend and  
smiled again, proving to Yuna that he was one of those really great people that's always in a good mood.  
  
"Well, my files say that you have the sphere booked for five hours today; Is that right?" He continued at Tidus' nod, "Okay....  
You know that drill, but I'm obliged to say this anyway....When you are in the sphere, no non-blitzball sport may be played  
unless you have modified it to be within Official Blitzball Rules standards. Also, no rough-housing that is actually considered  
dangerous, such as with weapons of any kind, will not be permitted and you will be asked to leave immediately."  
  
Taylor continued on for a few minutes, mechanically spilling out all of the rules that they were supposed to follow. After about  
seven more ground rules were laid out, he waved them off, telling them to have a good time and to cheer on the Abes when  
they played their home game in three days. The trio nodded, following the signs towards the locker rooms, where Tidus took  
Kieran and went one way, leaving Yuna to go the other.  
  
Tidus simply changed into his regular game uniform, helping Kieran into the smaller version of the jersey-and-shorts outift  
that he had given to him earlier that week. They were done in about five minutes, and went out onto the field to wait for Yuna.  
  
They didn't have to wait long, though, and when Tidus laid eyes on her, he was glad that he had invited her. She was wearing  
a very tasteful one-piece bathing suit that dipped in the front and back in a V shape. It was white in color, decorated with  
painted, pale blue lilies that complimented her eyes nicely. She wore her hair down, with nothing handy to tie it back with,  
and had kept her necklace on. Despite the fact that this suit was NICE, Tidus still found himself wishing that she'd worn a  
two-piece instead.....  
  
"Shall we, boys?" She asked, smiling brightly as she noticed how wowed Kieran was. He hadn't stopped looking around in  
wonder since they'd arrived, and this made Yuna very happy. Tidus managed to shake himself out of his stupor long enough  
to nod at her, and take Kieran's hand, and leading him towards the jump platform below the sphere.  
  
It was a simple device, put there for the purpose of giving the players the extra seven feet of height they needed to be able to  
leap into the floating sphere of water. Tidus went up first, taking Kieran with him. Once he reached the top of the platform of  
stairs, he hoisted the boy onto his shoulders, instructing him to stand up straight and just jump up.  
  
Both he and Yuna could tell that, as excited as he was, little Kieran was also very nervous, and unsure of what to do. However,   
he didn't let his apprehension get to him, and, with a bright smile set on his face, he stood up, and jumped into the pool.  
  
"Come on; You should go next," Tidus called down to Yuna, motioning with his hand towards the sphere and the empty place  
beside him at the summit of the platform.  
  
Yuna nodded in reply, quickly ascending the navy blue staircase and coming to stand at Tidus' side.  
  
"So....what do I do now?" She asked with a laugh.  
  
Tidus kneeled down in front of her, clasping his hands together in front of him, and holding them out at her ankle level.  
  
"I'm gonna help you into the sphere."  
  
The statement was a simple one, but yet, in Yuna's mind, it didn't inspire much trust. Tidus noticed this, however, and took   
action towards it.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna throw you over my head or anything," When she still didn't look convinced, he glanced up to meet  
her gaze, adding a simple, "Trust me."  
  
"I suppose I could....Just this once," She replied with a smile, placing her small, left foot into his hands.  
  
He lifted her up at this point very quickly, causing her to sway slightly and grasp his shoulders with her hands for support. She  
gasped in slight surprise, which caused an amused laugh from Tidus to bubble forth. Yuna simply stopped moving for a few   
seconds, and took that time to realize that all she had to do was reach up and her arms would be inside the sphere.  
  
"Just jump," Tidus said from beneath her, reaching down with his left hand to grab and support her remaining foot.  
  
"That's it? Just jump?"  
  
"On three; You jump, and I'll push, okay?" He explained, balancing her feet in the center of his hands and raising them to his  
shoulder level.  
  
"Okay...." Yuna agreed, looking up and preparing herself.  
  
"One...." Tidus began, "Two............Three!" He shouted, pushing up as hard as he could with his arms and sending her into the  
water-filled sphere faster than he'd thought he could. She had leaped at just the right time, which added more speed to her   
entry, adding to the rush of being surrounded by breathe-able water.  
  
She opened her eyes slowly, taking in her first breath as she did so. Her vision was clear, and she could see Kieran swimming  
around the entire pool, as excited as ever. When she looked down at where she had just come from, Tidus was no longer  
there. Puzzled, she turned around, looking for the missing blitzball star with increasing confusion.  
  
'He was RIGHT there a second ago....' She mused to herself.  
  
Unfortuneatly for her, she was so wrapped up in wondering where he could be, that she didn't take notice of the lithe figure  
slithering through the water and coming up behind her...........  
For a few long, tense minutes, both feuding "parents" could only look over at the confused child in the door frame. It appeared   
as though they had no words, even though they had been literally bursting with hurtful ones mere moments before. No matter  
how they thought of it, they knew what she'd seen, and they had to somehow try to erase it from her memory as best they  
could. If she remained in the house with thoughts of her parents fighting, which was what they normally did, she just didn't see   
it, then she could return to the orphanage with a bad vision of what family life was really like. Simple little occasions like this  
could create irreversable stereoypes in the young girl's mind, poisoning her against wanting a family and possibly killing all of  
the dreams she had built in her short life.  
  
It sounds like a lot for a small fight, but children tend to remember the things we view as irrelevant, and pointless to think about  
as something that was very important and monumental. Their perceptions of a short feud could be very, very different from the  
views of a composed, educated 20-year-old.  
  
Knowing exactly what could happen if she didn't take action, Lulu at last stepped forward, kneeling down in front of Jade and   
setting a small smile on her pallid face. She wsn't completely sure what she was going to say, but she hoped that whatever  
spilled from her lips would satisfy the child's natural curiosity.  
  
"Jade, Mommy just had a bad day. It was wrong of me to yell at Daddy," She explained, glancing over her shoulder to Wakka,  
who was watching for the girl's expression with what looked to be a very slight hint of satisfaction at the woman's words.  
  
"......Well, if you were wrong, wouldn't it be nice to 'pologize?" Jade replied after a moment of contemplation, trying her hardest  
to properly pronounce the words she used. The look on her face was one of pure and utter ignorance.  
  
Underlying agitation was present in Lulu's facial features, but no one took notice as she nodded her reply. She slowly rose to her  
feet, eyes closed in what appeared to be weariness. She simply stood for a second, then put her right foot forward, followed by  
her left, and repeated these routine actions several times until she stopped directly in fron ot Wakka. She had never imagined  
that taking just a few steps could damage her ego so much....  
  
"I'm sorry I yelled at you," She said, not looking up to meet his gaze, "I had no reason to...." This she added almost to herself,  
but the ever observant blitzer caught it, and smirked ever so slightly.  
  
Despite this, however, slight shock took over Wakka's senses for a moment, and he wondered why Lulu had swayed so easily  
in her decision to apologize. He deduced that it had everything to do with Jade and absolutely nothing to do with him, and he   
left it at that, trying not to overwork his brain.  
  
Surprising even himself, Wakka then reached out, laying his hand gently on the mage's shoulder in what he hoped was a   
peaceful gesture. His hand lingered there, resting atop the smooth fabric of her t-shirt sleeve, as he waited for some kind of  
reaction to appear on her face.  
  
Her response was a mere twitch of the corners of her mouth, but it was enough for Wakka. He did nothing else, mainly because  
he didn't ant to end up like his poor punching bag....  
  
"I'm.....sorry too, I guess...." He muttered, so quietly it seemed he did so under his breath. At this, the twitch that had been the  
mere beginnings of a smile turned into a full, bright one, a rare sight indeed in regards to Lulu.  
  
A pause followed, somewhat tense, yet somewhat relaxed as well, seeing as they had both admitted they were sorry. Lulu  
couldn't help but wonder, however, if Wakka's declaration had been serious. The silence was soon broken, however, by little  
Jade's velvet-soft, obliviously innocent voice.  
  
"Is it time for my nap now?" She asked, sounding mildly disappointed. Even though she really didn't think nap-time was a great  
thing, she had been brought up to be obidient, and she KNEW when it was time for her nap.  
  
"Ya, it is. C'mon, let's go upstairs, okay?" Wakka replied, moving forward to scoop the child up into his arms.  
  
She giggled when he over-swung her, moving her around like she was flying. After a minute or two, he brought her down to sit  
on his shoulders, and turned to face Lulu. Jade was still busy laughing, and was the only one in the room making any noise.  
  
Wakka then opened his mouth, moving it, but not speaking. "We'll talk later," Were the clearly conveyed words.  
  
Lulu merely nodded, watching as he turned back around and headed for the stairs. She sighed once he disappeared from sight,  
and moved to stand in front of the icicle that was formerly Wakka's punching bag.  
  
With a sudden hand movement almost to quick to catch, the mage had used her powers and turned the ice chunk into a flaming  
ball hanging from the ceiling. She watched it burn, losing herself in the depths of the flames as she sunk into contemplation.  
What was she going to say to Wakka when he returned? What would he say in reply?  
  
The biggest question on her mind, however was.......  
What in Spira had possessed her to kiss him?  
  
And what had come over him....that allowed him to kiss her right back.....??  
******************************************************************  
  
Sorry for the long wait on this one, but I had lots and lots and lots of school work, plus I had a little case of Writers Block.  
  
I'll try to get the next one out in about a week, but I can't make any promises.  
  
Thanks for all the reviews!! Keep 'em coming!!  
  
Laterz,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	12. Feelings Are Complicated Things

And Baby Makes Three  
Chapter Twelve - Feelings Are Complicated Things...  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX or anything associated with it. I only WISH I did..... ;)  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Although thoroughly puzzled by the sudden disappearance of Tidus, Yuna couldn't help but look around her and notice at last   
that she was hovering in a vast, seemingly endless sphere of water. The substance she was encased in, however, was nothing  
like the kind of water you would take into your system to prevent dehydration; it was ethereal, and seemed more like a misty  
substance than anything to Yuna. She closed her eyes, letting her body relax and submit to the tranquil, peaceful aura that   
the oxygenated water brought onto her senses.  
  
Surprisingly enough, she could hear very, very well underwater, and she began to focus on what sounded like someone   
swimming. Opening one eye, she glanced over towards Kieran, who was contentedly practicing the four year olds version of   
Tidus' sphere shot. A small smile tugged at her lips and her eye closed once again, focusing this time on letting her muscles   
completely relax.  
  
'Tidus probably forgot his blitzball in the locker room...' Yuna concluded to herself, leaving it at that and simply...forgetting.  
Meanwhile, the aforementioned blitzball ace was treading water three feet away from the serene summoner, recovering from   
the minor heart attack he had suffered when Yuna had opened on of her beautifully mismatched eyes and looked around. His   
index and middle fingers were still resting against his neck, monitoring his pulse and waiting for it to slow a few more paces.   
Once it had, he spread his arms and slowly advanced towards the unsuspecting, blissful young woman in front of him.  
  
After only two minutes, Yuna's luxurious, quiet contemplation was interrupted, accomplishing two things at once:  
  
One, the arms that encircled her waist brought her out of her little daydream very quickly;  
  
And two, those same limbs sent shocked chills running up and down her spine the second they met with her skin. Even though  
the area that his arms rested against was covered with the bathing suit she wore, the feeling was the same.  
  
Tidus came to rest right up against Yuna, his chest pressed very lightly to her back, and his knee-caps just barely brushing   
the backs of her legs. He bent his head so that his ear was near her neck, and he let the water overtake his hearing, allowing   
him to listen in on how much he'd quickened her pulse.  
  
Her heart was beating fast, her pulse racing much faster than he'd anticipated, surprising him, but in a good way. He wasn't   
sure exactly what had affected her so much: his scaring her, his extremely close proximity, or a combination of both, but his   
ego sincerely hoped for one of the latter two.   
  
Being as close to her as he was at that moment, was an experience he hadn't partaken in since his last serious relationship,   
which was more than a year and a half past already. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to be taken back to that year, when   
he'd been going out with a bright eyed young girl three months his junior, named Sarah.  
****  
Sarah had been the one who was interested in him first, and he'd only asked her out because she was cute. But as the   
relationship turned into a five-month 'thing', Tidus realized that maybe, just maybe, he thought of this particular girl as more   
than just a toy. They became almost inseparable, sometimes sleeping over at each other's houses on weekday nights just so   
they wouldn't be apart, even in the unconsciousness of slumber. Things took a nasty turn for the worse, however, as they   
neared their one year anniversary.  
  
Tidus had been hearing rumours about Sarah cheating on him, but he, of course, didn't believe them. One night, Wakka   
called him up, asking where Sarah was. Tidus knew that this was perfectly legit, because the two had been assigned as lab   
partners, and Sarah had taken home all of the work. But when Tidus remembered that she'd gone out to see her mother,   
who had fallen ill, he informed Wakka immediately, preparing to give the number if he so needed. It was then that Wakka   
fell silent for a long several minutes, leaving Tidus to finally interject and say something.  
  
"What's wrong, Wakka?" He had asked, turning down the television to hear his friend's response.  
  
"....I'm coming to pick you up. Be ready in five." Was the reply, followed by the dull pitch of a dial tone.  
  
Tidus hung up the phone, switching off the TV and heading downstairs to grab his shoes and coat. He hollered into the living   
room, telling Jecht that he was going out. His reply came as a grunt, followed by a, 'Be home around 1:00'. When Wakka   
pulled up outside and honked, Tidus rushed outside, near leaping into the passenger side front seat.  
  
Wakka said nothing, and just pressed his foot to the gas, driving off in silence. They didn't really say anything for the whole   
ride, until Tidus questioned what they were doing when they came to a stop in front of Anthony Witon's home. Anthony was   
notorious for throwing parties on weekday nights, but Tidus and Wakka never went, seeing as they didn't even like the guy.  
  
"I gotta show you somethin, ya?" Wakka said sombrely, opening, locking, and then closing his car door behind him as he   
stepped out. Tidus did the same, following the Besaidian up the steps and watching him ring the doorbell. A 10th Grade   
student answered, welcoming them inside in a drunken stupor, not even knowing who they were.  
  
The two friends pushed their way through the crowd, heading up the curling staircase towards a bedroom at the end of the   
hall. Wakka kicked the door open, knowing it was locked, and waved his arm, motioning for Tidus to step inside.  
  
There on the bed, was a stunned looking pair of naked teenagers, still holding onto each other, as they hadn't had enough   
time to register that they'd been caught having sex to let go. One of the perpetrators was Sarah. Tidus didn't know, or care   
for that matter, who the other person with her was, and he sure didn't want to find out.   
  
He stormed out of the house behind Wakka, who had already started walking out as soon as he opened the door to the room,   
heading towards the car with malice and hate glittering in the cerulean depths of his eyes. Sarah was running after him with a   
bed sheet wrapped around her, crying out to him that it wasn't what it looked like, and that he didn't understand the situation.   
There sure wasn't a whole hell of a lot one needed to understand, if you know what I mean.  
  
Wakka took out his car remote, unlocking the doors as they walked out the front door of the house. He got in the car, waiting   
for his friend to do the same so he could get them out of there.  
  
Tidus slammed the car door in her face, not even making eye contact with her as Wakka turned the ignition, and pressed the   
gas peddle to the floor. The ten minute drive home was silent 90% of the time, save for the one minute the two of them   
talked.  
  
"How did you know?" Tidus asked, struggling to keep himself composed.  
  
"Leathen was there with his new girlfriend. He called me up when he saw them go upstairs into that room." Wakka replied.   
When Tidus remained silent, he continued, "Look, if you need to talk-"  
  
"I just need to do some thinking by myself, okay?" Tidus answered quietly, opening the door once the car stopped before his   
house, "Thanks, Wakka. I'm glad I have at least two loyal people in my life." He added as almost an afterthought, closing the   
door behind him and heading into the house.  
  
That was the first night Tidus had shed a tear since after his mother's death, and it was also the first night that he'd gone to   
Jecht for help of any kind, breaking down multiple barriers in that action alone. From then on, Tidus vowed to never enter   
another serious relationship again, and he and his father grew closer, finally becoming able to walk into a room together and   
not fight. They never progressed beyond that, however....  
****  
Tidus' eyes snapped open, and he winced as the tiny, yet familiar ache pounded in his chest again. He completely forgot   
about it, though, when he began to focus on another sound that drifted up to his ears. Being pressed up so close to Yuna   
enabled him to hear both her heartbeat and his own, and right now, they were beating in a rhythm that brought a smile to   
his face, erasing the memories that had resurfaced from the forefront of his mind. All he cared about at that moment, was   
Yuna.  
  
They remained that way for several minutes, suspended near the middle of the sphere pool, while Yuna's mind cleared and   
her pulse slowed down enough to allow her to think straight. She blinked hard, realizing that this was the first time a member   
of the opposite sex had ever been this close to her. She had passed up many invitations to dance over the years, simply for   
the reason that she had no idea how to handle herself in such intimate situations. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly hating the   
predicament she currently found herself in, but she couldn't tell whether he was just doing it as a joke to freak her out, or if   
he was semi-serious about just....holding her. They had barely been on the assignment for a week, after all.  
  
Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, Tidus' grip on her waist loosened, and he backed away enough to let her   
turn around and look him straight in the face. The mischief and humour she saw floating around in his eyes was normal, and   
not what caught her attention. What she noticed right away, was the glimmer of pain that she'd seen in his gaze the night he'd  
come home with bruises from getting in a fight. Right when he'd gone to sleep, she noticed that he'd seemed deep in thought,   
and that he wasn't too thrilled at what he was remembering. She had wanted to ask him about it, but didn't know him well   
enough, so she assumed that he wouldn't trust her with his thoughts just yet. It could have been nothing, but she still wasn't  
sure.  
  
The mischievous look on his face only served to confuse her more, as she couldn't tell what he was thinking, like she could   
with most other people she met. Whether he had been joking or not in regards to the embrace, she couldn't say.  
  
Her answer came in the form of Tidus throwing a blitzball towards her slowly, smiling ever so slightly when she caught it with   
ease. Yuna concluded that this action signified that he simply wanted to play blitzball, and only came up behind her like he   
had to get her attention and give her a fright.  
  
As Tidus swam over to fetch Kieran, Yuna couldn't decide whether she liked the possibility that he'd just meant to scare her,   
more than the thought that he'd simply wanted to hold her......  
Lulu paced back and forth, ringing her hands together and nervously reverting to her grade school habit of cracking her   
knuckles. The popping sounds eased her a slight bit, and she was disappointed when they stopped just after ten. She would   
most likely have to wait at least ten minutes until she could repeat the process, but by then, she knew, she'd be on the verge   
of a breakdown.  
  
Why was she so nervous about this? After all, it was just Wakka, right? And all they were going to do was talk. Not such a big   
deal to anyone else, but to the frantic-looking mage, everything was about to become a giant ball of chaos. All she had to do   
was talk to him; the big deal lay in the subject of the impending conversation. Could she handle talking about the best kiss   
she's ever had, as if it was just a slip-up? Could she refrain from asking him if he felt the same way about it as she did? What   
was she supposed to do, just stand there and say that the short-lived embrace gave her the kind of chills one gets when they  
touch their soul mate?  
  
She reached up to rub her temples, trying to breathe slowly and calm her racing pulse, while also trying to force the dozens   
of questions out of her mind. She'd heard of multi-tasking, but this was ridiculous! Suddenly, she just stopped, halting her   
feet and snapping her eyes open, fingers unmoving on her head. She took a deep breath, lowered her hands, and slowly   
walked over to the window, taking a seat on the sill and leaning her back against the adjoining wall. She placed her hands on   
her lap, folded them, and turned her head to look out onto the area that surrounded her new home.  
  
The window faced a street, and on the other side of that street was a small playground for the neighbourhood children. Upon   
further inspection, Lulu spotted two young girls who had come over the other day to introduce themselves to Jade and invite   
her to play with them. She smiled, watching them play on the swings and monkey bars and trying to remember the times   
about ten years ago when she enjoyed the same things.  
  
She then cracked open the window, pondering for a moment before pulling it up all the way, allowing the warm summer  
turning fall breeze to sweep over her face. She closed her eyes and sighed lightly, wondering how on Spira such small,   
everyday things could calm and relax her to the point where she was ready to fall asleep. The sound of a small finch singing   
floated over to her ears from a nearby tree, and soothed her senses even more. The tall Besaidian blitzer that had had her   
preparing for the end of the world some short minutes ago was still on her mind, but was no longer ailing her thoughts.  
Meanwhile, directly above the relaxing mage, Wakka was being conned into reading a story about a lost kitten to a young,   
auburn haired girl with very persuasive hazel eyes. Despite the fact that he hadn't been with her for more than a week, she   
had already stolen a small piece of his heart, winning him over in no time at all.  
  
"Please?" She begged again, bringing out the big guns: the Puppy Eyes, "It's my favourite story...."  
  
Wakka knew what she was doing, and was trying his hardest not to make eye contact, but something made him turn his head,  
and he was hooked from then on. The look she gave him was priceless; too cute for words, and made him give in.  
  
"Alright, alright," He said, admitting defeat and picking up the book while Jade clapped and grinned brightly. He took a seat on  
the bed, leaning back against the headboard and opening the book. The girl leaned in to see the pictures, and gave her full   
attention to Wakka the second he uttered the first syllable of the tale.  
  
A mere fifteen minutes later, the story had been told, and the listener was sound asleep on the story-teller's shoulder. Wakka   
closed the book, edging out of bed and laying Jade down under the blankets. He stood there and watched her for a short   
moment, her chest rising and falling evenly in sleep, her breathing quiet and peaceful.  
  
Quite the contrast when compared to Wakka's own fast heartbeat and quickened breathing.  
  
'It's just Lulu,' He thought, walking slowly out of the room and closing the door behind him, 'It won't be that bad....'  
  
Yeah right! His mind argued. Wakka groaned in frustration, pausing at the top of the stairs to collect his scattered thoughts.   
For him, the kiss they'd shared had been one incomparable to any other he'd ever had; it was the first kiss that everyone   
wanted, but never had. It was the kind of kiss shared by two soul mates finding each other after years of searching. It was   
the kind of kiss that was talked about in fairy tales, and shared only by fictional characters, simply because that great of a   
feeling can't exist in the real world.  
  
It WASN'T the kind of kiss shared between two people who had wasted every previous breath on each other yelling and   
feuding, but he had experienced it just the same. The only problem with it was, that he had no idea what kind of follow   
through it required. What could he possibly say to a beautiful woman who had shared the best kiss in the universe with him,   
then yelled at him for taking advantage of her? What do you SAY to someone like that?!?!?!?  
  
Still completely unsure of what to say, he slowly began to advance down the stairs, barely being able to concentrate on   
putting one foot in front of the other, like had all his life. A normal outside observer would not see the big deal in this   
situation. Someone who had been following these people's lives since they moved in together (-_^) might not even   
understand why so much emotion is stirring within the two young adults. They themselves don't even know....  
  
The way we last left Lulu is the way Wakka found her; staring peacefully out the window, watching the children across the   
street play, and listening to the breeze blowing through the tree leaves. She didn't appear to notice him at first, but truth be   
told, she was only stalling for a few more precious seconds when an idea of something to say might hit her, and save her.  
  
After a minute had passed, Wakka cleared his throat, unable to stand the silence anymore. Lulu acted like she was startled,   
and turned slowly to face him. To her dismay, he seemed even more attractive than he had when she'd kissed him, if that   
was even possible. He reached up to scratch the back of his head, like he always did when he was nervous, and smiled   
slightly.  
  
That was when the brainstorm of the century hit Lulu. The inspirational idea of what she could say hit her at last, and with   
these words, she was sure to knock him off his feet with the power behind them. She rose to her feet, advanced a few steps   
towards him, and opened her mouth to say the time-stopping thought buzzing around in her head.  
  
Her lips parted, and she said, "Hey."  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Sorry that this chapter took so long to get out, but I've been busy and couldn't find the time to get into writing.  
  
Well, we've learned a little more about Tidus' past, and that Wakka felt the same way Lulu did about the kiss. Interesting,   
isn't it? Next time, we'll find out if Lulu's stellar opening line did anything to jar Wakka's senses and blow his mind. Also,   
we'll see if Yuna's any good at water sports...  
  
Stay tuned!  
  
Till next time,  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	13. It's Really Not That Bad

* * * * * And Baby Makes Three Chapter Thirteen - It's Not Really That Bad... By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X and all of it's characters, settings, places, etc. belong to Squaresoft. **************************************************************************** ********** The light breeze whistled through her hair, echoing in her ears alongside the light laughter of the little girl she had come to know as her daughter. The wind brushed swiftly past both of their faces in the ten seconds it took to slip down the white and green slide that had been Rikku's favorite park "attraction" since she herself was three years old. Alatriel giggled in an innocent voice that could only be described as belonging to a child, and the sound put a serene smile on the young Al Bhed's face as the trip came to an end, and her feet met with the sandy ground.  
  
"Was that fun, Alatriel?" Rikku asked, picking the girl up out of her lap as she rose to a standing position.  
  
The toddler clapped her chubby little hands in answer, and continued to smile broadly. Her arms outstretched towards a young blonde man approaching them, and Rikku's smile widened as she took in the handsome face of her "husband", Carter Sinclair.  
  
His blonde hair hung just above his eyes in an almost boyish fashion, adding to the soft, sincere look that glimmered in his russet eyes. Rikku often found herself taking nonsense to him, simply so that she could spend those few minutes getting lost in the cinnamon depths that went on forever. To her, they seemed like a chocolate river that ran straight down to his soul. His lips parted, revealing white teeth and a perfect smile as he came to stand beside her, his own arms reaching out in his daughter's direction.  
  
Rikku transferred the girl over to her "Daddy", and marveled, for about the fiftieth time, at the close bond they seemed to have formed in just over a week. He lifted her up close to his face, fluttering a butterfly kiss on her left cheek, and watching with what looked to be adoration as she giggled at the feathery touch.  
  
"Again!" Alatriel cried, the wide smile on her face never faltering as she looked between Carter and Rikku.  
  
"Go ahead," Rikku said, nodding towards the picnic spot they had set up upon arriving, "I'll just go wait for you two to finish."  
  
"Oh no you don't," Carter reprimanded, reaching out with one hand to grab Rikku's wrist gently, while leaving his other limb to support the little girl who'd made the request, "You're coming with us."  
  
"I am?" Rikku answered, a small smirk creeping its way onto her lips as her eyes locked with Carter's.  
  
"Yes you are. Let's go!" He replied enthusiastically, leading her towards the stairs at the slide's base.  
  
The two of them climbed up to the top, and just as Rikku was about to sit down, Carter paused, holding Alatriel out to her. Rikku looked at him questioningly, but he simply placed the girl in her arms and motioned for her to sit down. Not one to inquire to him, the Al Bhed did as she was asked, taking the toddler and sitting down at the very top of the slide. A crimson stain spread upon her cheeks as Carter slid in right behind her, placing his arms around her waist and encircling Alatriel in the same motion. His legs stretched out beside hers, still longer despite the fact that he was further back.  
  
"Ready?" He asked, his mouth dangerously close to her ear. She could only nod in reply as he slid forward, sending the three of them down the slide in the time it took to blink.  
  
The feeling of the wind barely even registered to Rikku this time, as all she was concentrating on was the handsome blonde man behind her, who was laughing like it was going out of style. She could just picture what his face looked like in that moment, and it brought yet another smile to her face. She closed her eyes, trying her hardest to etch the feeling of this small event into her mind so she could look back on it whenever she chose to.  
  
The ride ended too soon, for any of their liking, and even though he and Alatriel wanted badly to go again, Carter decided that it would be a better decision all around to go and have something to eat first. He waited for Rikku to stand up before he did the same, walking behind the young blonde girl towards the picnic area they had made ready. * * * * * After all of the packed food was eaten, or at the very least nibbled at, Alatriel announced, rather bluntly, that she wanted to go and sit on top of the bright green monkey bars. A flash of worry illuminated Rikku's swirling eyes, and she turned to face Carter, who seemed amused by the toddler's declaration.  
  
"I'll be right there with her, okay?" He assured her, reaching out and watching the girl walk awkwardly over to sit in his lap. Rikku still seemed a little uncertain, but the warmth floating in Carter's chocolate eyes made her melt inside, and she knew that he would never let anything happen to the young girl that had been entrusted into their care. She was surprised by the strong maternal instincts that took over her whenever Alatriel was concerned, especially so early on in the assignment, but she was certain that having these motherly reflexes was a good thing.  
  
"Alright, alright..." Rikku agreed, mockingly rolling her eyes as both her 'husband' and 'daughter' smiled broadly.  
  
Carter rose to his knees, Alatriel in his arms, and leaned over to kiss Rikku lightly on the cheek. He hesitated afterwards with an awkward pause, as if caught off guard by his own actions. He blushed lightly, a contrast to Rikku's new shade of bright crimson. He cleared his throat and got to his feet, hoisting the girl onto his shoulders.  
  
"Sorry. Reflex..." He muttered, as if those two words could completely explain what he'd done.  
  
"It's okay. Reflexes are good, right?" She replied, giving him a secret look that told him all he needed to know:  
  
He now had her permission to do that again anytime he wanted to.  
  
With this thought buzzing around excitedly in his head, he smiled, turning and heading off towards the vividly colored playground that his 'daughter' wanted so badly to be in. Rikku simply sat on the picnic blanket, watching them go, a small, shy smile on her face. Once they were walking in the sandy edges of the children's heaven, she cast her arms out to the side and lay back spread-eagled on the ground, staring up at the calm, clear blue sky above her.  
  
All she knew was, if the rest of the assignment was like this, it would be the easiest, and most enjoyable, passing grade she'd ever received. **** **** **** **** **** 'I can't believe I'm doing this...' Yuna thought, watching as Tidus swam over to the net and readied himself for the assault he knew was coming.  
  
Kieran was bouncing the ball off his head excitedly, waiting for the blonde blitzer to position himself in the net properly so he could begin shooting at him. Knowing that Tidus' skills surpassed hers and Kieran's incredibly, Yuna had suggested that to start off, she and Kieran could simply shoot at Tidus and see if they could score. The left corner of the blonde's mouth had quirked upwards at this, and he had wholeheartedly agreed, passing Kieran the ball he was dribbling and heading off towards the square-shaped structure on the right side of the field. As he watched Yuna pass the ball slowly from one hand to the other, he couldn't help but think back to the morning when he'd woken up to find her nestled in his arms, a small smile playing on her lips. Her hair, smelling of pure cinnamon, had been so soft it felt like spun silk, and for some inexplicable reason, Tidus found himself aching to feel that texture brush against his skin again. He kicked himself mentally, reaching upwards to stretch out his arms as Kieran centered himself with the net in the middle of the sphere pool.  
  
'Piece of cake....' The blitzer thought, bending slightly at the waist and placing his arms in front of him. His fingers were wiggling anxiously; his eyes darting all around the pool as if he was expecting three other attackers to be coming towards the net. Despite the relaxation and sureness in his thoughts, he couldn't help the nervous feelings that were surfacing in the pit of his stomach.  
  
The first time he'd ever played blitzball on a team, he had been placed in the net; a direct result of the high Catch status he'd gained blocking shots from Jecht as a young child. Their first game, he had felt like a nervous wreck; like the whole world would crash and burn if he let even one shot go past him. It was this feeling, however, that led his team to the playoffs that first season.  
  
His nerves constantly jumbled, Tidus continued to block shot after shot, holding the record in his age league for the most consecutive shutouts. Over time, though, his nerves relaxed, and he found himself getting more and more comfortable in the net, sometimes stopping the ball at the very last second, putting the crowds and his teammates on edge. He never let one in, despite all his tricks, and he grew even more cocky than the previous game every time.  
  
Then, in the final playoff game, the game from which the city-wide winners would be crowned and given a trophy, his luck ran out, and his confidence got the better of him. With thirty-seven seconds left in the second half, he'd attempted to do a trick to save the shot, but he took too long and the ball whizzed past him, breaking the 2-2 tie and giving their opponents the trophy.  
  
Angry with himself for practically handing them the trophy on a silver platter, Tidus gave up being a goalie, and even quit blitzball altogether until he entered the eighth grade. It was at this time that he was finally able to get over his guilty feelings and try again, this time as a defense- man. Over the years, however, his potential as a forward came through, with stunts like pulling off a sphere shot from the opposite end of the pool and scoring, aiding his ascension. He was hesitant at first, but had slowly relaxed into the role, much like he had done as a child goalie.  
  
The only difference was, no matter how stubborn and cocky he appeared outside of the sphere pool, he never, under any circumstances, underestimated his opponents again. It was simply a life lesson that he had taught himself at a young age, and it had stuck with him all these years. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Tidus focused on the little boy winding up for a shot.  
  
The ear-to-ear grin on his face was most likely something that almost never occurred, and the blonde silently made a promise to himself that he would do everything in his power to keep that expression on Kieran's face for as long as he could. Oblivious to the blitzers thoughts, Yuna herself was also making that same promise as she watched the ball fly towards the net with speed that was unusual for a boy her son's age. She smiled brightly when Tidus made a show out of trying to stop the ball, only to twist his arm out of the way discreetly at the last possible second, letting the blue-and- white sphere slide past him and into the net.  
  
As the goal buzzers sounded, Yuna and Kieran's smiles did not go unnoticed, and they triggered another happy expression on the face of the Great Trickster himself as he watched them, laughter shining in his cerulean eyes.  
  
'Maybe they won't be THAT hard to live with after all...' Tidus decided mentally, watching with an amused smirk as Kieran performed his own version of Wakka's famous victory dance. **** **** **** **** **** The nervousness was apparent in both young adults standing in the room, one wondering what to say after such a stellar opening line, while the other contemplated what to say period. The latter of the two parties reached up with an unsteady hand to brush his fingers over the backward russet wave that was his hair. The aforementioned first party was trying to imagine what was going through the head of the Besaidian native before her, but she simply couldn't sink down to his evolutionary level. A smirk played on her cranberry stained lips as this thought entered her head, distracting her from the uncertain conversation that was due to begin at any moment.  
  
"I never thought...that this would be so awkward, ya?" Wakka said quietly, suddenly finding a very interesting spot on the carpet to focus his vision on. Lulu could only nod in reply, knowing that he couldn't see her do so, while she formulated her verbal response in her head.  
  
"Wakka, I...." She paused, unsure of how to proceed, "It was just a kiss, right?" She finally looked at him, only to find that he was still enthralled with the floor. He nodded after a moment, finally looking up and meeting her gaze. The stunning crimson depths still surprised him every time he looked into them.  
  
"Ya. Just a kiss..." He at last agreed, a tiny smile appearing on his face. Lulu decided to be bold at that moment, and took a step towards the blitzer, realizing as she neared him just how much taller than her he really was.  
  
"Wakka, would I be wrong if I said that..." She looked to the ground for a second, then pulled her crumbling resolve together and met his russet gaze once more, "it was a great kiss, albeit a short one?" Wakka's smile became even wider as he looked down on her, his straight white teeth almost seeming to sparkle in the dimming sunlight coming through the windows.  
  
His mind was racing, and he had the slight urge to lean down and kiss her again, if even it was only to feel that delicious chill slither up and down his spine one more time. "Ya. It was pretty good, eh? Well..." He continued, reaching up and interlocking his fingers behind his head, "that's just what happens when you kiss someone as great as me, ya?" He finished, smirking.  
  
"Oh is that what you think?" Lulu replied, glaring up at him with a smirk equal to his own on her face.  
  
"Nope. That's what I know, ya? And I think that you noticed it too, judging by the way you got "cold" when I kissed ya," Wakka answered, his cinnamon eyes glimmering with the cocky mischief present in his voice.  
  
At this, Lulu's cheeks stained a light crimson, and she looked at his now retreating back with a fire in her eyes. She clenched her fists and hurried to stand behind him, bringing one of her closed hands down on his back. He stopped, turned around, and grabbed her wrists before she could repeat the motion. His expression was simply infuriating, but his words were even worse.  
  
He leaned down until his lips were poised beside her ear before he spoke. "If you don't stop throwing yourself at me, how am I supposed to resist you, ya?" He asked, his voice sending those familiar chills racing through her limbs. She was attracted to him, and she despised him for it.  
  
"You..."She began, glaring up at him when he pulled away, "are the most arrogant, infuriating, pompous, whiny, BRAT I have ever met in my entire life!! You-you-you aahh!!!" The mage threw her hands in the air, not being able to come up with enough rude comments to describe the man standing before her.  
  
Wakka just chuckled, a rumbling that began deep in his chest and slowly tumbled forth out through his lips, which angered Lulu even further as he found her frustration amusing. He stopped after a moment and, still smiling, met her gaze. "I'm going out. I'll be back before 7:00, though, so don't worry, ya?" Was all he said as he left the room, heading for the front door.  
  
Once he got there, he slipped on his runners, pulling his keys out of his jacket pocket. He discarded the outerwear garment, knowing that he wouldn't need it in the warm weather, and opened the door. Before he walked outside, however, he turned and looked back, spotting Lulu heading up the stairs to check on Jade.  
  
He simply left the house, closing the door quietly behind him as he did so, and heading out to his truck. As he climbed in the driver's seat and took off for the gym, he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. Unbeknownst to him, he and Lulu were sharing the same thought at that moment: 'Maybe I won't fail this project after all.......' * * * * * * * * **************************************************************************** ***** Well THAT was certainly a long time coming, wasn't it? I'm soooooo sorry about the wait, and to tell you the truth, I have no justification for it this time. The only reason I can offer you is that I simply did not feel like writing until recently, and here is the product of that.  
  
As one reviewer pointed out, it seems that I update roughly once every month, which may become more-or-less the norm for the next few months, as I have final exams, which are a total bitch, and summer school after that. I am, however, extremely grateful for all the reviews I've received thus far, and I hope that this chapter satisfies you for the next little while.  
  
Once again I would like to apologize for making you guys wait so long, and I hope I won't take as long next time. Pray for me and maybe it'll happen (- _^)  
  
Until next time, ja ne minna!  
  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	14. I Hope You're Left Handed

And Baby Makes Three  
  
Chapter Fourteen – I Hope You're Left-Handed…  
  
By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"I won! I won! I won!"  
  
The excited cheers of a certain four-year-old adoptee echoed through the empty stadium, eliciting laughter and smiles from his new parents. The trio had been playing blitzball in the Zanarkand Memorial Stadium for over four hours, and despite this, Kieran was still brimming with energy.  
  
"C'mon Kieran!" Yuna called as the dark-haired boy began to follow Tidus into the Men's locker room, "I have to wash your hair!" The brunette child looked to the blitzer beside him, but the blonde just shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head towards the woman to their right with her hands on her hips.  
  
"Coming!" Kieran replied, turning on his heel and trotting off towards the young girl who was to become his mother. Yuna smiled when he reached her, placing a hand on his back and walking with him into the locker room designated for women.  
  
Tidus stood there for a moment, watching them disappear behind the cerulean walls of the building and into the change room. He sighed, running a hand through his wet hair and letting it drop listlessly back to his side. He shook his head, a slight smile appearing on his lips as he turned and walked into the locker room, his feet making smacking sounds against the wet floor.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A few minutes later saw Tidus leaning leisurely against the front desk, speaking avidly to his friend about his encounter earlier with the Luca blitzball team. He was so enthralled by his own story he failed to notice Yuna approaching with a very tired looking Kieran in her arms.  
  
"So then I went to punch him," Tidus' fist jutted out in front of him in a fast punch. "and the stupid prick grabbed me and slammed me against the wall. I hit my head, so I couldn't counter fast enough and the bastard kneed me right in the stomach!" The blonde lifted up the front of his shirt to show Taylor the faint purple bruise that spanned 10 inches in diameter. The young man winced, then discreetly pointed over Tidus' shoulder at the waiting girl behind him.  
  
"Oh, hey Yuna!" Tidus greeted, a smile lighting his face almost instantly, despite his past annoyance with her. He was about to say more, when he finally took note of the half-asleep boy she was holding.  
  
She extended her arms towards him slightly. "Would you mind taking him out to the car?"  
  
Tidus didn't know what to do, and he glanced over his shoulder quickly at Taylor for help. The other youth just nodded vigorously, putting his own arms out in front of him as if he were receiving the child himself.  
  
Taking a slow, calculating step forward, Tidus mimicked his friend and held out his arms. Once the boy was handed to him, he barely noticed the additional weight and adjusted him to a more comfortable position with ease. He looked down at him with cautiously receding uncertainty, taking in the adorable sight of his damp chestnut hair hanging limp over his gently closed eyes.  
  
"Later Tidus." Came Taylor's whispered voice from behind the desk.  
  
"It was nice meeting you," Yuna replied quietly, tossing the youth a smile over her shoulder as she walked away to catch up with Tidus, who was nearing the front doors.  
  
Yuna went to hold the doors open for him, and was surprised for a moment when they swung open as she approached.   
  
'Automatic doors,' She laughed to herself, watching the blonde pass quickly through the entrance way and out into the parking lot, 'How could I not remember that?'   
  
She followed Tidus to his car, and stopped to take his keys from his pocket when he gestured for her to do so. Luckily for her, they were hanging slightly out of their cloth cage, so she didn't actually have to go into the man's pants. (-_^) She unlocked the doors and helped him slide the sleeping boy carefully into the back seat. Once he was buckled in around the waist, (a tricky manuver as he was asleep) the two young adults got into the front driver and passenger seats without so much as a sound.  
  
Tidus started the car and turned around in his seat, draping his arm across the back of Yuna's chair as he guided himself backwards out of the parking stall. His hand, back inside its usual leather casing was touching her shoulder lightly, but he didn't seem to notice. Yuna concluded that the thickness of the material was preventing him from feeling her skin under his fingers, and she was suddenly glad for it. Once they had pulled out of the parking lot and turned into traffic Tidus' arm slid back to his side, his hand now lightly gripping the bottom of the black steering wheel.  
  
Inwardly, Yuna was both relieved and slightly disappointed. After their encounter in the sphere pool, she couldn't shake the strange, yet prominent feeling that she liked him being close to her. For almost the entire ride she thought about the blitzer.  
  
'Now if we were talking about any other guy,' She thought to herself, watching two birds hop about on the sidewalk as Tidus waited for the light to turn green, 'I wouldn't be as frazzled. But with this.....' She paused to glance sideways and look him over quickly. She took in the khaki shorts and navy button-down T-shirt and moved on to his face. With his bright cerulean eyes and jagged blonde hair he looked like a...well, like a-- 'jock.' Yuna decided, 'It's different somehow...'  
  
Thoroughly puzzled, the young summoner opted to continue staring out the window, watching their high school fly past as Tidus sped up slightly to avoid being trapped by the impending red light. He turned onto the street that ran behind the gymnasium, and slowed down a slight bit as he drove down the long residential road. He took a left at the first junction, then continued down a little ways until turning left onto a freshly poured concrete driveway.  
  
He turned off the car, opening and closing his door quietly before walking up towards the house. Yuna already had the back door open and was in the middle of extracting the sleeping boy from the vehicle, so he figured he'd be best off just opening the front doors and getting Kieran's bed ready for him.  
  
He fumbled around in his pants pocket for his keys, and began searching his jacket when he didn't find them. He was starting to get angry when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whipped around to see Yuna standing beside him, Kieran resting on her shoulder being supported by her left arm while her right hand held out his keys. He flashed a smile and took the yellow keychain from her fingers, glancing at it for a second and locating the key to the house. Sliding the key into the lock, Tidus turned it quickly until he heard a click from inside the door. Opening the door slowly, he held it open so as to let Yuna through.  
  
Once inside, Tidus kicked off his shoes and dashed upstairs towards Kieran's room, while Yuna slowly placed her shoes to the right of the door in their designated spot. After this was done she made her way up the stairs, with her right arm now supporting the boy and her left steadying herself by holding the stair rail as she ascended.  
  
Upon arriving at Kieran's door, she was slightly surprised to see a certain blonde blitzer fixing the small pillows in a way she knew would be comfortable for the slumbering child. She smiled warmly at him, walking into the room and laying the boy down gently onto the small mattress. While Yuna carefully took off his jacket, Tidus removed his shoes, setting them on the floor by the dresser. He grabbed the jacket from Yuna and hung it on the back of the nearby chair, making sure it wouldn't fall.  
  
He then walked over to where Yuna was standing, admiring the sleeping boy as if he really was her very own child. 'It's amazing how they make you like them…' Tidus thought of children, gazing down fondly on the small brunette as he stood at Yuna's side.  
  
*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!*  
  
The interruption made Yuna jump slightly, and Tidus placed a hand on her shoulder quickly out of habit before racing out of the room to grab the offensive intruding object. Once he reached the wall on which the phone hung, he glanced at the name and number displayed in the identification panel.  
  
547-8716  
  
Unknown Caller  
  
'That's Dad's number…' The teen thought warily, slowly extending his arm out to push the "Answer" button. Once he did so, the small screen that also hung on the wall flickered to life, and the various colors affiliated with Jecht's home and face melted quickly onto the screen.  
  
"Tidus." The older man's face was set in a frown.  
  
"Dad." The blonde replied, leaning against the wall opposite the screen and folding his arms defensively across his chest.  
  
"I want to see you and the team. We need to talk about something." He kept his sentences short and to the point; a sure sign that he was angry.  
  
"I just got home. D'you mind?"  
  
"Not really. Be at my house in five minutes." The screen went blank as Jecht disconnected. Tidus growled deep in the back of his throat and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to hold back his anger. What was it about that man that aggravated him so much, anyway?  
  
He ran his gloved hand through his hair and let out a pent up breath he'd been holding since Jecht had told him to leave the house. Shaking his head he walked back in the direction of Kieran's room, only to find Yuna leaving it and closing the door softly behind her. She looked up at him when she heard his heavy footfalls on the carpet, and the barely-caged anger boiling in his eyes made her own mixed gaze swell with concern.  
  
"I have to go somewhere." He suddenly found the carpet very interesting. "I'll be back in a little while." He turned and headed for the stairs, determined not to make eye contact with the young chestnut haired woman behind him. She always managed to make him feel guilty somehow...   
  
He made it to the front door, and was just about to exit the house when he stopped dead in his tracks. Turning back around, he looked up and saw Yuna standing half-way down the staircase, her left hand on the railing and her right resting on her hip.  
  
Fishing his car keys out of his pocket, he quietly said, "Don't wait up this time."  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was beginning to drive him crazy.  
  
The incessant ringing of his cell phone was making Wakka insane. He was rummaging through the various compartments in his truck, trying to locate the source of the noise. Luckily for him it was the middle of the day and rush hour traffic was preventing him from heading across the intersection even though the light was green.  
  
He finally found the menacing object, buried underneath the spare shirt and pants he kept in the back seat incase he needed a change of clothes. He flipped it open and pushed the flashing blue button, not even bothering to check whose name was blinking on the display panel.  
  
"Ya?" He barked into the end of the device.  
  
"Wakka? It's Tidus." The sound of his best friend's voice relaxed the Besaidian native a slight bit.  
  
"Whadda ya want?" He questioned, re-buckling his seat belt and placing one hand on the steering wheel.  
  
"My dad wants the entire team at his place. Right now." Agitation was present in the younger man's voice as he spoke.  
  
"Okay. See ya there, eh?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
The voice was followed by the dull sound of a ring tone, and Wakka clicked his phone shut, shoving it into his pocket and stepping on the gas. The four cars in front of him and turned right, leaving him clear to get across the street and onto the less crowded residential roads. He referred to the well-worn map in his mind to get to his coaches' house, and arrived there within a few minutes.  
  
Just as he pulled up, he saw a familiar red sports car drive past him and pull into the driveway, stopping abruptly next to the silver SUV already parked there. Wakka got out of the truck, locking the doors behind him, and walked over to the car, whose driver was still buckled into the front seat. The window was open, so the flame-haired teen bent down to peer inside, already knowing what he would see.  
  
Tidus sat there, looking like he was going to explode; into terrified spasms or uncontrollable rage, Wakka couldn't be sure. His hands still gripped the steering wheel like a vice, and his eyes seemed to be burning a hole into the garage door in front of him.  
  
"C'mon, man." Wakka said quietly, gesturing out of the car with both hands. "It can't be that bad, ya?"  
  
"It's about Luca." Tidus replied quickly, reaching over and taking off his seat belt. "I know it is. He found out somehow." Wakka couldn't respond right away, seeing as the blonde teen had rolled up his window in order to lock up his car once he exited. He did just that, locking the doors and putting the alarm on the vehicle, not caring that they were in practically the safest neighbourhood for miles.  
  
"Hey guys!" Came a shout from the end of the driveway. The two teens turned to see Leathen jogging up the concrete surface towards them, a smile on his face.  
  
"What're you so happy about?" Tidus asked, a small grin appearing on his face at the sight of his fellow blitzer. His happiness was contagious, no matter what had caused it.  
  
"I got my acceptance letter from the BSC today!" He replied excitedly, coming up in between them and draping his arms around their shoulders leisurely.  
  
"Bevelle Sports Camp?!" Wakka inquired, his head snapping around to stare at the other boy. "You serious, man?"  
  
"Of course I'm serious! See? I told you guys to send in your applications! If I can get in, you guys will be accepted no problem!" Leathen sounded encouraging, which gave them both a much needed ego boost.  
  
"Actually…" Tidus began, stroking his chin with his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully. "There was a letter in the mail today from the camp. I haven't looked at it yet, though." The spark had returned to his eyes.  
  
"It's probably them asking you to register there instead of going to collage next year. How much you wanna bet?" Leathen joked, his smile widening, if it were possible.  
  
They arrived at the front door, a grand affair in itself standing at eight feet high and made of acutely polished oak. The handles were ornately designed and even the doorbell was fancy. 'This is my dad's house, alright…' thought Tidus with a slight frown.  
  
He reached up and pulled open the door, not even bothering to announce their presence by ringing the doorbell or knocking. He figured that as one of the players on the team, not to mention as the coach's own son, he had the right to simply enter the building. They stepped inside, taking off their shoes and placing them on the racks designated for holding the items in pairs. None of them having jackets, they continued on towards the spacious living room, where Jecht, Auron and the rest of the team were already seated around a roaring fireplace.  
  
Jarvis looked up at them and flashed a smile. "About time you guys got here!" He joked.  
  
Leathen sat beside him and the two began talking enthusiastically about the sports campus in Bevelle that the elder teen was admitted to.   
  
Not even glancing at his father, Tidus strolled over to the armchair that was nearest to the kitchen door and sat down. He rested his left elbow on the arm of the plush chair and propped up his head with his left hand, sighing quietly and wishing he was anywhere else.  
  
Wakka settled down on the far right side of the couch next to Tidus' chair, leaning back and sinking into the soft cushions. He folded his hands together behind his head and closed his eyes, listening to the chatter of his fellow blitzers. The soft crackling of the fire lulled him into a relaxed haze, and he wasn't aware of the talking ceasing around him until Jaxon, a defenseman seated beside him on the couch, elbowed him swiftly in the ribs. He grunted and sat forward, one hand flying to his rib cage automatically and the other laying to rest on his knee. He nodded his thanks to the red-haired young man just as Jecht stepped in front of the fireplace and addressed the group.  
  
"Do you have any idea why you're here tonight?" He asked, his voice rough and strained.  
  
'You called us here, that's why. Idiot…' Tidus snapped mentally, shooting a quick glare in his father's direction.   
  
When no one answered out loud, their coach continued. "There was an incident a few days ago regarding a team that we all know very well." The last few words were spoken with so much sarcasm that Jecht actually sounded as if he favoured the Luca team, but his own players knew better.  
  
"The Luca Goers filed a complaint against us, claiming physical harm was inflicted on several of their players by members of this very team." Auron stepped in to carry on, casting pointed glances in Tidus and Wakka's general direction as he spoke. "Thankfully, they reconsidered before any actual charges were laid, but the price we paid for this was great. Gentlemen, we have to throw the next tournament and let Luca take the cup."  
  
Angry and surprised shouts erupted all around the room, and players looked wildly around, as if accusing everyone else in the room for this injustice. Leathen and Jarvis bowed their heads slightly, trying not to make eye contact with anyone else around them. Tidus and Wakka simply glanced at each other before resuming their steady gaze at the floor and fireplace, pretending not to notice the stares coming from their coaches and teammates.  
  
"We absolutely have to? There's no way around it?" Jaxon questioned, trying his best to remain optimistic.  
  
"None whatsoever." Jecht answered, leaning against the fireplace wall and folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"Now we are aware that not all of you were involved. Leathen?" Auron turned his sharp gaze on the young man, who remained motionless in his seat, defiantly staring right back at his superior. "Would you be so kind as to dismiss all those who were not present at the time of this incident?"  
  
"Yes sir." Leathen replied, rising to his feet and looking around the room. He pointed first at a pair of ebony haired twins seated on the floor beside the fireplace. "Damien, Dante; you guys can leave…and Ayden you can go too." He gestured to a young brunet seated next to Jaxon on the couch. Leathen dismissed six more players before finally sitting back down beside Jarvis.  
  
"Just as I expected." Jecht muttered, his dark sienna gaze lingering a moment too long on Tidus.  
  
"Normally in a situation such as this, boys," Auron addressed them calmly, but there was a distinct edge to his tone that did not go unnoticed. "we would make you run so many drills you wouldn't be able to move for days, you'd be so physically exhausted. We could make you run barefooted until your feet were nothing but bloody stubs attached to your legs; we could make you throw a blitzball until your arm snapped or ripped off, and other such delightful things."  
  
Lucian looked afraid, but hid it well, while Tidus and the others looked completely unfazed. They had heard these threats several times before, and they were always meant to scare, nothing more.  
  
Jecht continued on in Auron's place. "But since that tournament we're all looking forward to is only two days away, inflicting physical harm on you boys wouldn't be a smart thing to do."  
  
"Why does it matter? We have to lose anyways; might as well be injured so we can forfeit the game." Lucian offered, sounding defeated.  
  
"If we're gonna lose, we're gonna do it in the most dignified way we can!" Jecht argued.  
  
'Ooooo. Daddy knows a big word!' Tidus drawled sarcastically in his mind, wishing he could say the words out loud.  
  
"We'll make it a nail-biter, so to speak." Auron said, removing his sunglasses and cleaning them quickly with his deep crimson sweater. "Lose at the last second so it looks like Luca is the better team."  
  
"Did ya have to say it like that?" Jarvis muttered, rubbing absentmindedly at a bruise on his upper arm.  
  
"We'll just tell Jaxon to let that last goal go in, ya?" Wakka said, more so to himself than to the others around him.  
  
"So what are you gonna make us do instead?" Tidus asked, sounding uninterested which, coincidentally, he was.  
  
"See this?" Jecht replied, reaching down into a drawer and pulling out a large, blue-backed book that was at least five inches thick. "You're gonna write this out by hand."  
  
"All of it!?" Lucian exclaimed, almost falling out of his seat.  
  
"Every word. But there's a catch; you have to do it with your non-dominant hand." Jecht answered, an evil smirk playing on his lips.  
  
All the players' eyes widened, but not one of them said a word. Wakka rose to his feet and fumbled around in his pockets for a second, withdrawing a pen from inside his vest at last. He looked at Jecht and Auron each in turn before walking up to them and grabbing the book. He sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table, placed the book on his back and opened it up to the first page. He cringed inwardly when he saw that the writing was very small, but didn't show any signs of dislike outwardly.  
  
He glanced around to the others, all of them searching their pockets for the pens they always had with them incase the 'crazy fan wanting an autograph' situation reared its ugly head.   
  
"We're gonna need some paper, ya?"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"And just where have you been?" The greeting that welcomed Wakka home over six hours later was exactly what he had expected.  
  
"You really wanna know?" Smirking, he pulled off his boots and tossed them into the closet. She nodded as he walked past her into the kitchen. "I had to do a little paperwork, ya?" He answered enigmatically.  
  
"What do you mean paperwork? Blitzball players shouldn't have anything to do with paper, with the exception of signing autographs." Lulu replied, following him into the blue-tiled room and watching as he withdrew a can of soda from the fridge.  
  
He pulled back the tab, cracking open the aluminium can and taking a slug of the acidic drink inside before responding to her question. He swiped the back of his hand across his lips quickly before he spoke. "Jecht and Auron gave us our punishment for gettin' involved with the Luca team." He chuckled and took another drink.  
  
"They made you do paperwork? What kind of punishment is that?" Lulu tried to imagine Wakka behind a desk, a pen in his hand flying across a piece of paper. She could picture that, but trying to conjure up an image of the Besaidian actually looking like he was interested in what he was doing was a futile effort.  
  
"A damn good one!" Wakka retorted before gulping down the last of the soda.  
  
"Call me retarded, but I still don't have an answer to my question, Wakka."  
  
He crushed the can in his right hand, holding up his left to the mage. The thumb and forefinger's sides were red, and the bottom of the cuticle on his ring finger was swollen and slightly purple. 'Obvious signs of a lot of writing, but…Wakka's not left-handed…' Lulu thought, reaching out to pull his hand closer to her face. Her crimson eyes widened slightly as another idea entered her head. 'What if that was the intention…?'  
  
"He made you write with your non-dominant hand, didn't he?" She asked quietly, still studying his swollen appendage.  
  
"The entire Blitzball Rule Book, ya?!" Wakka replied, his voice rising in volume out of anger.  
  
"Shhh!" Lulu scolded instantly, "Jade just went to sleep half an hour ago!" She whispered harshly, smacking his hand roughly on the palm. He yelped and sent a glare her way, before fully taking in what she had just said.  
  
"It's eleven o'clock at night. Why did she go to sleep so late?"  
  
"She couldn't relax because you weren't in the house." Lulu answered firmly, but quietly, letting his hand fall back to his side, "It's amazing how attached she got to you after barely a week…" She continued, more so to herself than to Wakka.  
  
A slightly awkward silence followed, broken only by the sound of Wakka's soda can whizzing through the air and landing smoothly in the blue recycle box by the kitchen door.  
  
"The ENTIRE rule book, huh?" Lulu said, her eyes roaming quickly over Wakka's deep orange cargo pants and slightly brighter tangerine sweater. She stopped on his tanned face and waited for his reply.  
  
"The whole damn thing." Wakka confirmed, his russet eyes flashing with anger at the mere mention of what he had just been forced to do.  
  
The silence lasted for only a few seconds before it was interrupted by the sound of quiet laughter. Wakka's eyes, which had been focused intently on the tiled floor, snapped up to the magic-user's face, taking in quickly what he found there.  
  
Lulu was chuckling to herself, and she was slowly but surely getting louder. Soon enough, she was almost doubling over with the force of her laughter, and her eyes were beginning to water.  
  
"And just what in the hell is so funny?" Wakka asked, placing one hand on his hip and leaning down to try and peer at her face.  
  
It took a minute or so before the mage could collect herself and give him an answer. "A combination of things, actually." She replied, her eyes sparkling with mischievous mirth. Wakka nodded at her to continue, so she did. "First, the fact that you had to write out a 1,592 page book with your left hand;" She paused to chuckle several times before going on, "and secondly…" Her eyes roved over his form once more, "you look like a carrot."  
  
"Wha?!" Taking a step backwards, Wakka's eyes widened and he took on a look of total shock.  
  
"See for yourself…" Lulu gestured towards the mirror with her hand, laughing at the look of utter disbelief on his face.  
  
The blitzer made his way over to the reflective glass hanging on the kitchen wall, and gave himself a quick once over. 'Hmmm…' He thought, 'Orange pants, orange shirt…' He didn't like where this was going. 'Green headband. Yevon help me, she's right!'  
  
As he took in his carrot-ness, he began to realize that he had not planned this at all. He had simply reached for clean clothes in the morning, and this was what he came up with. After that realization, came another: Whenever he had run into someone, they'd chuckled to themselves once or twice, but never actually said anything. He had been called carrot-top in school, but this was ridiculous.   
  
Soon, a laugh began to rumble deep in his chest, and it slowly bubbled forth until it spilled from his lips. After a minute or so of watching him laugh at himself, Lulu joined in without even thinking about it, her feminine laugh mingling with the deep baritone of Wakka's chuckle.  
  
They stood in the kitchen for at least five minutes laughing, for once not caring that they didn't really like each other and just enjoying the moment. It passed quickly, however, and the pair of them were soon simply standing there, looking at each other with soft smiles still on their faces.  
  
"Well, I gotta go to practice tomorrow, so I better get to bed, ya?" Wakka broke the silence, his voice quiet and still laced with the humour he had expressed mere moments before.  
  
"Yes…I should go too. I'm taking Jade down to a ballet school tomorrow to see if she'd like to sign up." Lulu paused, lifting her gaze slowly to meet his. "That is, if it's alright with you. We're supposed to talk about every decision we make…" She added the last few words as an afterthought to herself.  
  
"It's fine. She needs something she can focus on besides that orphanage." Wakka replied, turning to walk out the doorway.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lulu called after him, extending her hand in front of her slightly as if to stop him from leaving.  
  
"She's afraid that we won't like her and we'll take her back, ya know? She thinks about it all the time; how much she hates it and stuff like that." Placing a hand on the doorframe, he turned his head to look at the young woman standing by the table. The questioning look on her face made him explain the rest. "She told me a few nights ago when she climbed into my bed. She likes to talk, that one…" He chuckled to himself and walked out of the kitchen, slowly ascending the stairs and leaving Lulu to watch him go, a look of mixed shock, surprise and relief flickering on her face.  
  
She remained in the brightly lit room for a few more minutes after he left, finally sighing and turning off the lights. She turned off the lamps and hall lights as she headed upstairs, and by the time she got to her room, she had counted ten switches, eleven, if she counted her bedroom.  
  
She washed her face and brushed her teeth as methodically as she usually did, slipping into her nightgown and crawling into bed. She debated reading for a little while, but quickly banished that thought when her head hit the feather pillow. She reached up and turned off her bedside lamp, rolling over onto her side and pulling the covers up to her chin.  
  
Curling her legs up to her body, she wrapped her arm around a pillow that lay beside her, loving the added warmth it provided once she'd held it for a few minutes. Her eyes opened slightly, and she stared at the wall, knowing that on the other side, Wakka was sleeping soundly. She smiled to herself, remembering the sound of his deep laughter, and unconsciously pulling her pillow closer to her.  
  
Whether it was just a pillow, or Wakka, her mind couldn't decide as sleep claimed her for the night, enveloping her in its satin folds and lulling her into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Meanwhile, Wakka was not sleeping as soundly as the black mage had assumed. He was lying on his back, his arms folded underneath his head, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom.  
  
'I wonder what it would be like if we kissed again…' He thought vaguely, sleep already beginning to cloud his mind. 'Would it be any better if we were both…ready for it? Hmm…………'  
  
His last conscious thought was of those full lips meeting his, letting them both abandon all their inhibitions and just……be. It was the most incredible thing in the world, and he had experienced it with the last person in his life that he had thought he would ever share it with.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
Tidus trudged up the driveway for the second time that day, feeling tired, angry and above all things extremely annoyed with his father. 'Writing out the entire manual is one thing, but with my left hand?! The man's a lunatic!!' He thought, his frown deepening as he finally reached the front doors. He dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it rather loudly for someone coming home at eleven thirty at night.  
  
He quickly realized his mistake when he saw Yuna's sleeping figure on the couch, looking as serene as ever. He quietly put his shoes away and set his keys on the small shelf inside the closet, closing and locking the front door behind him.   
  
He entered the living room and quickly glanced around for any sign of Kieran, but found none. 'Probably up in his room…' Tidus concluded, walking slowly towards the large couch in front of the television. The 52 inch screen was still blazing with the various colors of last week's blitzball game; Yuna had been watching the weekly Sports Report that aired every night and showed all the highlights of the week's games.  
  
A small smile crept onto his face as he kneeled down in front of the sleeping girl. Both of her hands were curled and resting beside her face, her knees pulled up to her stomach and a blanket draped loosely over her body. His gaze travelled over her quickly, stopping to rest on her face.  
  
The light from the TV reflected onto her face, making her skin glow blue, then red, then blue again as the colors on the screen changed. He moved so as to block the intruding light from hitting her face so he could really look at her. He had to admit, just this once, that she certainly was beautiful.  
  
Her lips were parted very slightly, her chest rising and falling with each deep breath she took in sleep. Her eyes were gently closed, and Tidus could just picture those bi-coloured orbs staring up at him as they had earlier that day. He could see the tiny freckles that peppered her nose and cheeks, and wondered why he had never noticed them before.  
  
She shifted suddenly, causing a strand of her fawn coloured hair to slip from behind her ear and fall into her face. Her nose wrinkled the tiniest bit, and Tidus couldn't suppress the smile that spread quickly onto his face from out of nowhere. He pulled off his glove and reached towards her, very gently moving the silky strand back to where it came from. It felt like the smoothest velvet under his fingers, and he was suddenly very glad that he had thought to remove the leather covering that had encased his hand.  
  
He located the TV remote after a few seconds of searching and flicked off the large screen, cutting off the annoying voice of the commentator as well. He set it back down onto the coffee table and stood up to his full height. Looking down at Yuna, he closed his eyes and briefly contemplated something. Deciding a minute later, he bent down and collected the slender girl into his arms, shifting her so that her head lay against his shoulder and he was holding her under the knees and supporting her back. He let the blanket fall back to the couch, and made his way upstairs. It was not a daunting task, seeing as Yuna weighed practically nothing to him, and he soon found himself outside her room.  
  
The door was ajar, so he lightly kicked it open, his sock-encased foot not making a sound. The lights were off, but he had the light from the hallway to navigate with. He carried her over to the bed, setting her down and holding her in a sitting position with one arm, while his other pulled back the covers and moved her pillows around. Once he felt that the bed was ready, he lifted her again, gently laying her down on the space he'd created by moving the blankets.  
  
She shifted onto her side right away, curling her knees back up to her chest like she had when she was on the couch. Tidus covered her up with the white sheet and quilt, noticing for the first time that there were lightly drawn pink, blue and purple flowers dancing across the fabric, as if blown by some imaginary breeze. He pulled them up to her chin, tucking them in so she wouldn't be cold. He smiled slightly as he looked at his work, and turned to leave.  
  
He stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a pressure being exerted on his forearm as he tried to walk away. He looked down, locating the source of the problem instantly. Yuna had her hand resting on his arm. She had obviously moved it there when he was carrying her, and simply hadn't let go yet. He contemplated again for a moment, making his decision quickly.  
  
He took a few steps back, sitting down and situating himself on the edge of her bed. Her grip relaxed, but she didn't move her hand, keeping it near his wrist as she slipped deeper into slumber. Tidus watched her for a few minutes that, unbeknownst to him, quickly turned into an hour. When he finally glanced at his watch, he had to do a double take to make sure that it really read 12:34AM. Once he was sure it did, he moved his gaze back to where her hand rested, taking in the sight of her small fingers and the silver ring that fit snugly onto one of them.  
  
He gently fixed his other hand around her wrist, lifting it so she released her hold on his forearm. She didn't move, so he set the small appendage down beside her face, watching as the fingers curled into a very loose fist and she relaxed totally once again. After quickly making sure that she was still tucked in, he got to his feet and left the room.  
  
As he closed the door behind him, he glanced over his shoulder one last time at the sleeping summoner, and his smile returned. Once it was closed, he walked down the hallway to his own room, cracking open the door and looking at his unmade bed with amusement. He undid the first four buttons of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it into the laundry basket without even looking. He changed quickly into his favourite pair of deep blue pyjama pants, revelling in the feeling of the soft cotton against his skin.  
  
He crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to his chest like he usually did, angling his body slightly onto his left side and tucking one arm under his pillow. The other came to rest draped over his chest, his hand landing near his face with a quiet 'thump'. He closed his eyes, letting sleep claim him like he had wanted it to since he wrote the first line of the rule book.  
  
His last conscious thought was of a beautiful lavender flower, which smelled strangely of cinnamon…  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Do you ever miss him, Auron?" Jecht asked, shredding the last of the written out rule books.  
  
"Who?" Auron inquired, lifting his gaze from the newspaper for a second to glance at his friend.  
  
"Braska. I was just thinking about him today when Tidus walked in here…" Dumping the finely shredded paper into a garbage bag, Jecht moved to sit on the recently vacated couch.  
  
"Why would he enter your mind at the sight of your son?" Auron wondered out loud, putting down the flimsy paper and taking a seat next to the younger man on the furniture.  
  
"Tidus is paired up with Yuna for that marriage thing in school. It just got me thinkin' about him, that's all." Jecht's gaze became lost in the dancing flames in the fireplace.  
  
"I do miss him, to tell you the truth. He always kept us from fighting too much…" The elder of the two men began to reminisce as a small smile fell upon his face.  
  
"Yeah. Remember the time when that Bandersnatch* stole my wallet?"  
  
"And you chased it down a ravine and fell into a pond? Yes, I remember." Auron and Jecht both chuckled at the memory.  
  
"I smelled like swamp mud for three days!"  
  
The two of them laughed for a few minutes, before Auron sobered up and a very unhappy look overtook his aged features. "Yuna's going to have to start her training in a year or two."  
  
"Do you think she's ready for that?" Jecht's laughter ceased immediately at his friend's question.  
  
"She is Braska's daughter, isn't she?"  
  
"True…But he was older when he started his training; At least five years older than Yuna is now." Jecht's statement made Auron's eyes cloud with contemplation.  
  
He replied after a few long, silent minutes had passed between them. "She has Lulu for her guardian; She'll be just fine."  
  
"You forget, my fine feathered friend," Auron looked quizzically at Jecht, who appeared to be too deep in thought to notice the humour of his sentence, "she's living with MY son…"   
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
*A Bandersnatch is a dog-like fiend monster in the game.  
  
FINALLY!!!!! Whew! *wipes brow* I'm soooooo glad I finally got this finished! It's been a while, hey?  
  
First of all, I'd like to send a HUGE thank you out to one of my reviewers named "kieka" who wished me well with my finals and summer school. I only know two of my final marks, for those of you who are interested: 82% on Math and 85% on Science.  
  
Secondly, another reviewer pointed out that it appeared that I post one chapter a month. This will probably be the norm for a while, but I will honestly try to get them out before 30 days have gone by, okay? I swear, I'll really try hard!!! (^_-)  
  
Till next time,  
  
Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	15. Of Force Fields and Reveries

And Baby Makes Three Chapter Fifteen - Of Force Fields and Reveries By: Digi-Esca Girl  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply. (*sniff sniff* NOTHING'S CHANGED!!!!! WAAAAAAA!!!!)  
  
***************************************************************  
  
In the quiet, early hours of a normal, mundane weekday morning, all appeared to be silent in the newly built houses that held 30 teenage parents and their respective children. They were all still sleeping soundly, it being 4:30 AM, and the sun was just beginning to lighten the dark night sky with its first rays. The street lights slowly went out, and by 5:03 AM, more than one-quarter of the bright burning star could be seen over the horizon.  
  
At exactly 5:04 however, the perfect silence that hung over every single house on the street was shattered by the abrupt wakening of a young woman, who rose from her slumber with such an urgency one would think she'd been literally thrown out of her own subconscious.  
  
The dark, frightening images of her dream didn't fade away quickly like the others did, instead opting to remain in her mind and continue to plague her even after she'd fully woken. She reached up one trembling hand and placed it gently on her forehead, feeling the thin sheen of sweat that lay there. She pushed her bangs back behind her ears, and piled the rest of her dishevelled tawny locks on top of her head, so as to cool off her neck and help calm her down.  
  
'What a terrible dream.And yet, I feel like it wasn't just a coincidence.' Yuna thought worriedly, throwing her covers off and stepping out of bed. She wondered briefly how she'd gotten to her bed when she clearly remembered falling asleep on the couch, but her mind was far too occupied with getting her to the videophone in the kitchen that she brushed the thoughts off and ignored them.  
  
She padded through the hallway and down the carpeted stairs with almost inaudible sounds, turning on no lights as she went. There was enough sunlight filtering through the bay windows in the front of the house to brighten the entire living room area, and the windows in the kitchen flooded that room with light as well. Her mouth flew open in a silent gasp when her foot touched the tile floor, the sharp chill of the smooth surface shocking her half-awake system. She placed her other foot down beside it anyway, walking on tip-toes across the kitchen to the phone that hung on the wall.  
  
She reached for the blue button with a trembling hand, pushing it hard with her index finger and watching as the screen flickered to life and prompted her to enter a number. She pressed the seven digits quickly, knowing them well, and looked on as the screen went blank except for the word 'Dialling.' blinking blue in the center.  
  
After six rings, the colors of a dimly lit study melted onto the screen and the face she'd seen every other time she'd had bad news to give or receive, was there.  
  
She gave an audible sigh of relief. "Sir Auron! Thank goodness I was able to reach you at this early hour."  
  
Tired but alert eyes stared back at her, intimidating and reassuring all at the same time, from behind his ever-present blue sunglasses. "Yuna, I've already told you that you can call me anytime, day or night, if it is an emergency." Reaching up his hand and pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, Auron leaned back in his chair to listen.  
  
"I've had a terrible dream, Sir Auron." When he looked sceptical, her eyes grew dark with worry. "And it's not the first time, either."  
  
****************************  
  
Some hours later, when the sun had almost completely risen, a young boy sat up in his bed, rubbing tiredly at deep Prussian eyes that would guarantee him girlfriends later on in his life. He let out a yawn, reaching his short arms into the air above him and pushing out his chest in a cat-like wake up stretch.  
  
It was at this time that a pale lavender light emanating from his backyard caught his eye, and he sat up so he was on his knees, looking out his window. What he saw made his eyes widen, and he literally leaped off of his bed, dashing out his door and down the hallway towards his temporary father's room. He pushed the door open with as much frantic force as his tiny form would allow, and scrambled up onto the aforementioned teenager's bed.  
  
Tidus was lying curled up in a ball on his left side, clutching a pillow to his chest and nuzzling his face into it. Kieran wasted no time in crawling on top of the older boy's unmoving form, situating himself on his chest before finally applying his patented, never-fail wake-up techniques.  
  
He placed both his small hands on Tidus' shoulder, shaking it as vigorously as he could, hoping that this would be enough to rouse him from his slumber. It wasn't, which came as not too big of a surprise to the youngster, who'd had plenty of experience with trying to awaken the older boys in the orphanage, and having the same amount of success. For this reason he was not discouraged, and resumed his shaking with just as much energy as before, determined to wake the unconscious teen.  
  
For all his efforts, all Kieran succeeded in doing was making the blonde blitzer groan softly and curl up into an even tighter ball. The boy sighed, ceasing his actions for the moment to allow himself some time to think of a new strategy that would actually work. Coming up with nothing that would surely work, Kieran simply rolled his eyes and resumed shaking Tidus' shoulder. All he got out of the teen after five tiresome minutes was a couple more groans and one softly uttered 'Go away Mom.'. Finally, he had had enough.  
  
He rose to his feet, seemingly towering over the curled up blonde, and sucked in the biggest breath of the faintly cologne-laced air his small lungs could handle. He let it out in the form of a shout.  
  
"DAAAAAAAAAADDY!!!"  
  
Luckily for the now tired out boy, this last ditch effort paid off. Tidus' cerulean eyes shot open, and he sat straight up in his bed, his hands landing solidly on the bed on either side of him so as to steady himself. He looked wildly around, cursing the golden bangs that fell into his eyes before swiping them away with his right hand angrily. What he failed to realize at first was that by sitting up so abruptly, he had thrown Kieran off of the bed!  
  
This was brought to his attention, however, when quiet laughter floated up to his ears from the navy-carpeted floor. His left eyebrow slowly went up, and he leaned over the side of the bed to examine what it was that was making those sounds. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly at what his eyes beheld.  
  
Kieran was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his mouth cracked wide in what could only be described as a child's innocent grin that bared seemingly all of his baby teeth. His eyes were still closed in mirth and both of his small hands rested on his stomach, where he was bunching the fabric of his shirt in an attempt to quell the laughter-induced tightness that dwelled there. He was laughing like what had happened was the funniest thing in the entire universe, and not like he had just been thrown unceremoniously off of his 'father's' bed.  
  
"What are you doing down there, kid?" Tidus asked after the boy's laughter had somewhat subsided. He was lying on his side, supporting himself on one elbow and resting his cheek in his palm, looking at Kieran with mild interest.  
  
The question brought forth a short stream of fresh giggles, and when he was finished Kieran looked up at Tidus with what had to be the biggest set of blue eyes ever! "You pushed me off, remember? I woke you up, and when you sat up, I went WHOOSH!!" The young boy accentuated the sound he made by swiping his arms in a backwards arch over his head, indicating that he had tumbled backwards.  
  
Smiling slightly and shaking his head, the blitzer moved to a sitting position, crossing his legs and placing his elbows on his knees. He then proceeded to drop his chin into his hands, thus supporting his head once again as he moved his gaze from his 'son' to the wooden bedside table on the left side of the queen-size bed. It was then that he noticed something that hadn't been there the last time he checked.  
  
There was a framed picture standing upright in the middle of the table's surface, the highly polished, dark wood frame reflecting the early morning rays of sunlight that peeked through the curtains. The picture it held portrayed three people: a man, a woman and a small child who looked to be about six or seven. He knew, just with one glance, who the depicted people were.  
  
The man with the dark chestnut hair and laughing eyes was undoubtedly his father, Jecht, and the woman was his mother Jalene. Her shoulder-length blond hair was flying around her face, creating a strange sort of halo that shone in the sunlight. Her deep blue eyes sparkled with mirth and mischievous secrets, and she had never looked more alive in a picture. The two of them were seated side by side, their respective left and right hands joined and resting on the soft grass at their feet. The blond child sat on the ground between them, grinning like the cat that caught the canary up at the person taking the picture. Tidus remembered very clearly that they had asked an elderly couple that was passing by to take the picture, and they had been more than happy to oblige.  
  
Realizing that he had been staring silently at the picture for a few minutes, Tidus cleared his throat, replacing the picture and turning back to the boy who was now seated beside him on the bed, looking questionably up at him.  
  
"So why did you come wake me up?"  
  
"Yuna's outside in the backyard, but there's this weird purplish stuff around her and I dunno what it is."  
  
Tidus' left eyebrow lifted ever-so-slightly. "Purplish stuff?"  
  
"Yeah! It's like a..like a.force-field! Yeah, that's it!" Kieran's small brow furrowed for a moment as he thought, but once he'd come up with the answer, his innocent grin re-appeared immediately.  
  
"Force-field, huh?" Tidus stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully, looking upwards at the ceiling as if deep in thought. After a moment he glanced back down at Kieran, who was anxiously awaiting his response, and smiled a small smile just for him. "Maybe we should go check it out? You know, just to make sure it's safe and everything.right?"  
  
Kieran nodded vehemently, his dark Prussian eyes seeming to sparkle with delight at the mere idea. He jumped off of the bed and, grabbing a surprisingly strong hold on Tidus' wrist, pulled the blonde out of bed along with him. "C'mon Dad! Let's go!" He pulled on him remarkably hard considering his small size, and Tidus made a mental note to involve the child in competitive blitzball at some point.  
  
Realizing something quite important as he was tugged closer to the doorframe, Tidus spoke up. "Hey little man! Hold on a second; I need a shirt, don't I???" He had felt the cool morning breeze brush over his skin as it filtered in through his open window, and it gave him a slight chill.  
  
Kieran's answer was surprising, yet not entirely unexpected, coming from a child. "Nah, you don't need one! It's just Yuna anyways!" He didn't even look back at the blonde, simply continuing to forcefully drag him out of the room and into the hallway.  
  
Tidus sighed, bending down and scooping the child up into his arms. Kieran gave a squeal of delight as he was lifted to his perch on the blitzer's shoulders, and he held loosely to the sides of his blonde head to keep from falling, even though Tidus' hands held him firmly in place. He exited into the hallway, turning left and padding towards the stairs. He smiled slightly when Kieran whispered an awed, "Wow.It's so high.!" and an idea struck him.  
  
He smirked, tightening his grip on the youngster's legs and pausing for a moment. He waited only a few seconds before leaping suddenly into a run and bolting down the stairs in what had to be record time for a forty-stair structure. Kieran shrieked again, holding tight to Tidus' jagged-cut locks in order to steady himself enough to be reassured, even though the blonde held him tightly. He laughed out loud, and seemed disappointed when they arrived quickly at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Can we do it again? Pleeeeeeeease?" He whined, bending over the top of Tidus' head to peer directly into his eyes. Tidus didn't answer right away, catching his breath for only a few seconds after that burst of energy. He didn't know why he had done it, but for some reason seeing the smile on the boy's face was worth it.  
  
He then shook his head, wondering why on Spira thoughts like those were even entering his head at all! 'I must be over-worked or something.Jeez.' He shook his head 'No.', and continued towards the kitchen, heading for the patio doors that were built into a wall there. His eyes widened slightly when his bare feet made contact with the cold tile floor, but he ignored it and quickly crossed the blue surface, stopping directly in front of the aforementioned doors.  
  
He reached up and lowered Kieran from his shoulders, placing him on his feet at his side before unlocking and pulling open the patio door. Kieran scrambled outside, looking out onto their backyard in what appeared to be awe from Tidus' point of view. He quietly closed the door behind him, and followed Kieran's line of sight until his own eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open slightly.  
  
What was shimmering before his eyes was indeed the 'purplish stuff' the boy had mentioned, and Tidus could think of no better way to describe it than a force-field. The blonde however, knew just enough about magics and spells to be able to tell that what was in front of him was a very advanced hybrid magic; a blending of two powerful spells. The magics Protect and Shell had obviously been fused together, thus creating the purple colored dome that was currently over their entire backyard!  
  
And right in the center of it, in the very middle of the entire thing, was Yuna. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and even though he couldn't clearly see it, Tidus knew just by looking at her that there was sweat on her forehead. She looked spent, and after watching for a few more minutes in silence, the two observing males found out why she appeared to be concentrating so hard.  
  
She suddenly reeled back, spreading her arms out as far as they would stretch on either side of her, her face turned skyward and her bi-colored eyes wide open and unblinking. A bright white light, that would surely have been blinding were it not for the spell, shot out from her chest careening upwards in a circular motion. The spell took its form as eight balls of light, moving spherically and continuing to climb up. It was at this time that Tidus noticed that a fiend was clinging to the roof of the dome, and that the spell was heading right for it! When it hit, the resulting explosion of light was so bright that not only did Kieran cling to Tidus' leg to hide from it, even Yuna herself brought up her arms to shield her own eyes from the shocking brightness.  
  
After a few minutes, Tidus cracked open his eyes and found that there was nothing left of the fiend but circling pyreflies. He sighed lightly, not even knowing fully why he was so relieved, and found himself looking around to see if anyone was peeking out their windows so see what that tremendous burst of light had been.  
  
His attention was returned to something else very quickly. "Mommy!!"  
  
Kieran's cry brought him back to reality, and his eyes snapped over to where Yuna lay, unconscious, on the soft grass.  
  
****************************  
  
The sound of an alarm going off at exactly 6:00AM roused the Besaidian blitzer from his dreamless sleep. He grumbled quietly, reaching over and turning it off before it woke the other two occupants of the house. He had called the Blitzball Stadium from his cell-phone last night, and booked the sphere for the Abes. He told Taylor to tell any other players that phoned that it was open to any of them all day if they wanted to practice at all for the next day's tournament.  
  
He slowly got out of bed, awakening more and more with each passing second, and padded over to his bathroom. He turned on the warm water for a shower, stripped off his pyjamas and got in, letting the comforting water slide over his back and warm him up. After standing under the gentle pressure for a few minutes, he quickly washed both himself and his hair, taking only ten minutes in total to do it.  
  
He got out, wrapped a towel around his waist, and proceeded to shave, brush his teeth and do his hair in its usual backwards style. Once all these routine tasks were accomplished, he stepped out of the bathroom, walking over to his closet and grabbing his practice uniform. It consisted of a loose fitting pair of navy blue pants that were stamped with the Abes' logo, and a simple navy and yellow T-shirt that also bore the familiar emblem. He then looked to the other side of the closet, where he kept all his blitzball stuff. He grabbed his "overnight" bag from a nearby shelf, opening it and stuffing his actual uniform inside, just in case other players showed up. He also snatched up his blitzball, his arm and shin guards and a specially made set of weights that could be attached to a blitzball for extra weight training. Once these items were also added, he pulled the zipper closed and slung the bag over his shoulder, heading towards his bedroom door. He exited into the hallway and made his way down the stairs, walking past the kitchen and stopping at the front door.  
  
Just as he was slipping on his sandals, he remembered that he hadn't given Lulu any indication that he was going to be going anywhere today. He rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes, the left one landing upside down beside his bag after hitting the wall and bouncing off. He stalked seemingly angrily into the kitchen, ripping a bright yellow Post-It note from its stack and grabbing a mechanical pencil from the utensil holder next to the note pad. He quickly scrawled where he was going and that he'd probably be gone all day, and left his cell phone number at the very bottom of the piece of paper just in case.  
  
He sighed when he finished, pressing the note onto the fridge and waiting for a quick second to make sure it stuck. When he was satisfied that it was going to stay, he turned and made his way to the door again, flipping over the upside down sandal with his bare foot and putting it back on. Once he'd located and donned the other sandal, he fished his keys out of his jacket pocket as quietly as he could manage. Picking up his bag and replacing it on his shoulder, he opened and closed the door almost soundlessly, locking it behind him. He then quickly crossed the lawn, which was moist from the morning dew, and unlocked the doors of his truck with the push of a button.  
  
He climbed in, turning the ignition and waiting a moment for the vehicle to ready itself. When he felt it was finished, he pulled away from the curb and drove off down the quiet residential street, not even noticing the bright purple light emanating from his best friend's backyard as he drove past.  
  
Being as it was so early in the morning there was little to no traffic as Wakka drove down the usually crowded city streets, his favourite CD already in place and playing loudly. His fingers tapped the rhythm of the currently playing song on his steering wheel, and a small smile was set into his face. Even though he was a teenager, nothing made him happier than getting up bright and early and going to play blitzball, even if he was alone in doing so.  
  
The popular water sport was his life, and had been since he could remember. All he could recall thinking about as a younger boy was blitzball, and now it still occupied most of his mind. Another small portion devoted itself to school and girls, but right now it was as if neither of those things existed to Wakka. All he knew was that he was going to play blitzball, and even the fact that he was doing so in preparation of losing a tournament couldn't bring him down. He hummed the alternative rock song as it played, remembering the first time he'd ever won a tournament with the Abes.  
  
It had started off as a normal enough day, the sun peeking through the sparse white clouds around 10:00 AM to warm everything up. No one needed warming up in the Blitzball Stadium however. The stands were packed with not a seat left empty, and nearly all the fans were pumped and ready for the annual tournament that was held in honour of all the summoners that ever tried, or were able, to defeat Sin. It was the first tournament that he and Tidus had ever played with the Abes, and everyone was looking forward to seeing how they would act under such pressure.  
  
Wakka remembered every word of the pep talk Jecht and Auron had given to the team, and he had taken every syllable to heart. The games played out normally in the beginning, with Zanarkand beating Kilika with a score of 5 to 2, and moving on to defeat the Ronso team 4 to 3. It was when they got to the final match against Luca that things began to get interesting.  
  
Tidus had gotten past their defensemen after a minute-and-a-half and had scored his first goal against the unsuspecting goalie, leaving everyone speechless for a few seconds before erupting into cheers. Even the commentators were quiet for a minute, needing the time to gather words for what they had just witnessed. Wakka felt immense pride at the moment, especially after seeing the look of total happiness on his best friend's face. It was at that moment that he decided that he was going to contribute to the game in the same way Tidus had, and no force on Spira or heaven was going to stop him.  
  
Luca came back after that goal and scored three in a row on the Abes, the third slipping past their goalie Ayden just as time ran out on the first half of play. The team went to the locker room with sombre looks on their faces, expecting to receive the lecture of a lifetime for the way they played the first five minutes. They got no such thing however, as Jecht appeared to have no words and Auron never usually spoke anyway. There was silence until the mid-fielder, Damien, stood on one of the installed benches and spoke up.  
  
He talked about how the Abes had never before let this trophy go to another team, especially Luca, and how just because they'd gotten an advantage over them in the first half didn't mean that they'd be able to do the same in the remaining five minutes of play. He spoke of how every single member of the team had individual strengths as well as weaknesses, and that the latter was even more necessary than the former in the way that weaknesses could be supplemented with the strengths of others. He concluded by talking about how even though they were all very different people, that they were united as a team, and there was no way to approach a challenge such as this without each other.  
  
Even though the speech was short, it boosted the overall morale of the team through the roof, and they went back out onto the field with such renewed vigour that people in the crowd questioned if it was the same team. They were the same Abes, and they played such a phenomenal second half that it was still talked about many months after the tournament was over. Both Damien and Tidus scored goals, tying up the score with 45 seconds left on the timer.  
  
Wakka did get his shining moment, but it came at a heavy price. He had positioned himself for a Sphere Shot and executed it perfectly, sending the blue and white ball careening at the net with remarkable accuracy and speed. On his way down from above the sphere pool, he was tackled from the side by one of the Luca forwards, the player's elbow slamming into his neck so hard it caused his vision to swim and blur. He hit the water just at the blitzball hit the back of the net, and the sound of goal buzzer rang in time with the bell that signalled the end of the game. Everyone noticed that the young Besaidian wasn't moving.  
  
Tidus was the first to act, swimming over to his friend with as much speed as he could muster, and pulling him out of the pool towards the already positioned stretcher. They carefully extracted him from the water, noticing for the first time that his neck was bent at a very wrong looking angle. The fans drew in sharp breaths, watching on the monitors as he was lowered onto the stretcher and carried swiftly away towards an awaiting ambulance. Tidus had not allowed anyone to push him away, and stayed by his friend's side all the way to the downtown hospital.  
  
When they arrived and doctors assessed his condition, they delivered news to the waiting team that the young man's neck had been cleanly broken. They would have to put the bones back in place, but the surgery this required put his life in danger, seeing as if they slipped up anywhere, nerves and blood vessels could be severed and he could bleed to death. There was also the possibility that his spinal cord could become torn, killing him instantly.  
  
Wakka's mother, his only living relative left in the city, made the decision to have the surgery done anyway. There was no other possible course for her to take. Despite all the odds stacked up against him, Wakka pulled through the procedure, and was released from hospital after three weeks of carefully monitored recovery. Even with everything that had happened, Wakka couldn't help but be happy. He had won the game for his team, securing the trophy's place in their hall for another year, and he had had the entire Luca team come to him and apologize for what happened!  
  
He went on living his life, and soon everyone forgot about the incident, choosing only to remember the young rookie player that had saved the day and scored the winning goal.  
  
The sight of the very same stadium in the distance brought Wakka out of his reverie, and he smiled in spite of it. He was going to play blitzball, and one was going to be able to stop him.  
  
****************************************************  
  
Sorry for the boring chapter and for it's lack and several characters, but I had to get something out before you guys ate me!! Just kidding, just kidding.  
  
Anyways, I hope that this was enough to satisfy you all for a little while; I will try my hardest to have the next chapter out soon! It will have Lulu, Jade, Carter, Rikku, and of course Tidus, Yuna and Wakka in it, and will most definitely have more character interaction that this chappie!!  
  
Once again I apologize, and sincerely hope that I am forgiven!!  
  
Love you all, Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	16. Even Dents Need Friends

And Baby Makes Three *~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapter Sixteen - Even Dents Need Friends... *~*~*~*~*~*~* By: Digi-Esca Girl *~*~*~*~*~*~* Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!!! *sniff* what do you people want from me?!?!?! *sobs uncontrollably*  
  
NOTE: I talk about some ballet terms in this chapter, and may do so later on in the story as well, so I apologize in advance if I screw anything up, get any terms wrong, etc. I have never danced ballet in my life, and I simply read up on some terms for the purpose of the story. I hope I don't bugger it up too bad!  
  
-------------------------------------------------------- Later on in the morning, at around 7:45 approximately, yet another teenager on the quiet residential street was roused from her slumber. The high, shrill sound of a chirping bird caused her eyelids to flutter and open, revealing stunning burgundy eyes that were thought by some to be the handiwork of a devil. They were not, and it was of no consequence to the black mage whose pale face they were set into. In fact the only thing on her mind at the moment, though she didn't know quite why, was a certain Besaidian blitzer she believed to be sound asleep in the room next to hers.  
  
Her slowly wakening mind wandered again to the memory of their smouldering kiss, and she felt a chill race up her spine that made her skin break out into goose bumps. She shook her head, reminding herself that she had only known the guy for a week and that he wasn't rumoured to be a very nice individual, especially in regards to women. Clearing her mind of thoughts, she sat up in her bed and folded her legs into a pretzel-like position. Placing her hands on her knees palms down, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate on the singing birds outside, and the gentle rustle of her silk curtains as the breeze blew through them.  
  
It took a couple minutes, but the mage's body finally thoroughly relaxed as she sunk into her meditative state. Her breathing became deeper and more even and there was no thought in her usually cluttered mind. She stayed that way until the clock by her bed read 8:17, at which time she opened her eyes slowly and breathed a deep sigh of seeming relief. A small smile spread onto her lips, and she reached her arms up into the air in a stretch, trying to wake herself up completely.  
  
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up, a yawn escaped her, causing her to rub at her eyes with her fingers. She blinked for a few seconds before continuing on her way towards her bathroom. Once she got there, she stripped off her nightgown and climbed eagerly into her shower, turning on the water and waiting until it got hot. Once it did, she proceeded to wash her body twice over with her favourite lavender scented body lotion before moving on to the daunting task of washing her hair.  
  
She began by pouring a coin sized dab of shampoo into her palm and scrubbing it into her dark locks until lather was produced. She then rinsed it out and repeated the process once more with shampoo, and a final time with some conditioner that smelled of strawberries and moon lilies; a bizarre combination, to be sure, but an effectively pleasant smelling one nonetheless.  
  
Finally satisfied that she was clean, she stepped out and dried herself off, slipping into her robe and taking her hair dryer out of its drawer to the left of the sink. Even though it took her nearly 45 minutes on high heat to do it, she finally had dry hair cascading down her back in shining waves of obsidian. Walking into the bedroom she then plucked a black, knee- length skirt and red baby t-shirt with a low neckline from her closet, throwing them onto the bed beside her other clothing items.  
  
After getting dressed, brushing her teeth and putting on some light makeup, Lulu headed towards Jade's bedroom to see if the child was already awake. When she cracked open the door, she was surprised to see the little girl sitting up in bed with her lamp on, reading a book. Even though it was only a 23 page picture book with letters that were bigger than grapes, it was still an impressive sight.  
  
"Jade?" The mage called softly. The girl's head jerked up, and a smile lit her face that spread immediately to her bright viridian eyes. Her eyes were so vividly green that Lulu was beginning to believe that somewhere in her family there were Al Bhed genes. "Are you hungry? I was just going to go downstairs and make us some breakfast."  
  
"Yeah! Can I come help?" Her voice sounded timid, but at least she was asking at all; a good sign that she was beginning to come out of her shell.  
  
Lulu smiled softly, pushing the door open wider. "Of course you can. Come on." She motioned with her hands towards the hallway and Jade crawled out of bed and joined her at the door, shutting her lamp off and book-marking her book beforehand.  
  
The two of them made their way down stairs and into the kitchen, where Lulu noticed the bright yellow Post-It note stuck to the fridge. She scanned it with her eyes and let a small sigh escape her lips. 'At least he told me where he was going.Still.he was supposed to come with Jade and me today to that ballet school. Oh well.' She thought, folding up the note and tossing it into the garbage can next to the dishwasher.  
  
After making and enjoying a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, Lulu reminded Jade that she had made plans to go and check out a ballet school in the inner city. The smile that lit the girl's face travelled up to her eyes and set off the vivid green like emerald firecrackers shooting up into a night sky. She squealed in delight and charged up the stairs to get dressed in record time for someone so small. Lulu shook her head, a smile spreading slowly across her face.  
  
She then turned and made her way over to the phone, where she punched in a memorized number she somehow dreaded calling. The ring sounded five times before a voicemail messaging system intervened.  
  
'Hey! This is Wakka! Don't feel like talkin' to ya right now, so leave a message!'  
  
"Typical." Lulu sighed, waiting for the customary BEEP before she started talking. "Wakka, this is Lulu. I just wanted to let you know that Jade and I are going downtown for the day so we can take a look at a ballet school. I have my cell-phone with me if you need to get a hold of me."  
  
She pushed the "End Call" button just as a bouncy, wide awake little girl bounded down the stairs, fully dressed with her hair brushed and ready to go. The smile on her face could have replaced the sun for all its radiance, and it made the mage feel warm inside to know how happy she was making this child.  
  
"Well, we better get going!" She said with another smile, something she was beginning to get accustomed to. "Don't want to be late now, do we?"  
  
"Nope!" Jade agreed firmly, nodding her head vigorously as she slipped on her new sandals. She had chosen them specifically for the orange stars displayed on the straps, loving both the bright color and the star shape itself. She bounced out the door and headed for the black car parked by itself in the driveway, drops of condensation that had formed on its surface reflecting the morning sunlight.  
  
Upon noticing the absence on Wakka's bright yellow pickup truck, she turned and posed a question to the mage currently walking towards her. "Where'd Daddy go?"  
  
Lulu separated the car door key from the other keys on the ring, unlocking the rear door before answering Jade's quietly brought up inquiry. "He went to go practice early this morning. He's got a big tournament tomorrow that he really." She paused, remembering what was to unfold in Luca's favour the next day. ".wants to win." She finished with a smile, closing the door behind Jade as she clambered into her seat.  
  
Walking around to the driver's side door, Lulu unlocked it and got in, turning the ignition and adjusting the heater to blow warm air into the vehicle. "You buckled up?" She asked, turning in her seat to glance at Jade while she snapped her own seat belt into place.  
  
"Yep!" Jade answered, her smile set in place again.  
  
"We're off then." Lulu sighed again, something else she was beginning to do a lot more often, releasing the brake and backing the car out of the driveway. As she drove off down the wakening residential street, her thoughts suddenly wandered back to the night not very long ago when Wakka had stumbled in the doorway bruised and bleeding. He had looked so broken, and so utterly defeated that Lulu hadn't been sure at first if it was the same Besaidian that had walked through the door.  
  
'It HAS only been a week.Maybe his attitude will change and he'll become..'Hundreds of words buzzed around in her mind that could have filled that space, but she shook her head and focused on the road, letting Jade's quiet humming soothe her nerves. She sighed almost inaudibly.  
  
".tolerable."  
  
******************************  
  
"You're going DOWN Jaxon!!!"  
  
"Bring it on, wussie-man!"  
  
Wakka's smirk turned into a full blown evil grin as he ran at an increasing speed towards the soccer net. The white poles made ¾ of a rectangle around his friend, but current enemy, Jaxon, who was flexing his fingers ready to block the shot his team-mate was about to attempt.  
  
The team, all of whom but Tidus and Damien had shown up, decided that they should play with a blitzball with several added weights on it to strengthen their arms. After they agreed on this, they came up with the idea that their legs weren't being pushed enough when they practiced in the sphere pool. Taking this into consideration, they decided to utilize the soccer field that was on the grass below the sphere. They still played with most of the traditional blitzball rules, altering them just a tad, and set up the soccer nets in preparation. They then divided into teams and began playing their land-locked soccer-blitzball hybrid game, forgetting about the ominously looming day ahead of them for just this short time.  
  
Wakka advanced even closer to the net, his smirk never wavering. 'Oh I will.Count on it!' He thought, suddenly stopping short and turning his body to the left. He made eye contact with Leathen and threw the blitzball, which had weights attached to it for better strength training, watching the surprise on Jaxon's face out of the corner of his eye. Leathen's smile was just as wide as he caught the ball and hurled it at the net with the amount of force it would take to throw a human adult in the same way. Since it was coming from the corner, and there was no water with which to better propel himself towards the speeding sphere, Jaxon was unable to block the shot. It slammed into the back of the net and landed on the grass with a surprisingly loud THUD.  
  
"That's right, ya?!?! Who got OWNED?!?!" Wakka's triumphant cheers brought a smile to everyone's face, even the face of the goalie that was currently on his stomach.  
  
"Nice setup Wakka; Think you could try that at tomorrow's game?" Ayden asked with a smile. He winced a second later, however, as he realized what he'd said. No, Wakka couldn't try that shot tomorrow.against Luca anyways. But it was Luca that they so badly wanted to humiliate, as they always did.  
  
"Yeah.against Kilika probably, eh guys?" Wakka replied, trying to get the topic of conversation off of the dreaded day ahead of them. An assortment of nods met his response.  
  
"Let's take a break; my throat feels like sandpaper!" Jaxon said, getting to his feet with Dante's help. "Thanks Damien!" He said, mistaking the twin for his brother.again. "Oh shit! Sorry Dante!" He corrected himself when he received a glare courtesy of the aforementioned younger sibling. He chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly. Dante just shook his head, punching the older blitzer good-naturedly in the shoulder as they turned to walk towards the cooler at the sidelines.  
  
Leathen reached the plastic container first and pried it open. He dug through the ice, pulling out four bottles of water once he'd found them. He passed them out to the four team-mates closest to him, and went back into the cooler for more. Once everyone had something to drink, he grabbed one for himself and joined the rest of the team, sitting in a rough circle on the grass.  
  
Reaching up to brush a strand of ebony hair from his ice-blue eyes, Dante began a conversation based on what he saw out of the corner of his eye. "Hey Wakka? Your cell-phone is blinking."  
  
Wakka lowered the water bottle from his lips. "Huh?" He glanced over at the benches to see that the younger man was right; the blue light on his phone indicating messages was blinking on and off steadily.  
  
"It's probably his girlfriend." Jaxon joked, smirking up at the Besaidian as he rose to his feet.  
  
"Nah.Wakka never keeps girls longer than one night, remember?" Leathen winked over at Ayden, who chuckled and watched for Wakka's expression to change.  
  
Shaking his head with a smile, Wakka continued towards the bench. He sat down, grabbing his phone and snapping it open. He pushed the 'Check Mail' button and put the small device up to his ear. He stiffened slightly when Lulu's voice floated through the phone and into his ear.  
  
"Hey man, who is it?" Dante called over, craning his neck so he could see the red-haired youth over Jaxon's head.  
  
Wakka waved him off, trying to listen to the mage's voice. He had made up his mind that he wanted to try and get along with her better, and listening to what she had to say was always a good start. He had heard the part about the ballet school, but Dante's voice had prevented him from hearing anything else except: "get a hold of me."  
  
**********************  
  
"Mommy!" Kieran raced over to Yuna's still form, not caring that the purple force-field was still in place around her. Tidus' long strides caught up with the boy's easily, and he scooped him up before he crashed into the thin barrier. He was struggling, trying his best to wriggle out of Tidus' arms and get to Yuna.  
  
"Wait, Kieran! There's a force-field, remember?" Tidus' words ceased the boy's squirming, but his desire to reach the young woman's side still shone fiercely in his dark eyes.  
  
Just as the words left his mouth, the lavender light began to dim and fade away. It began at the base of the shield, so within a minute Tidus and Kieran were able to duck underneath the vanishing barrier and finally reach the unconscious summoner.  
  
Kneeling down beside her, Kieran took her lithe hand into his tiny ones, holding it to his chest as if this would wake her up. Tidus contemplated what to do for only a brief second before he acted. He reached underneath her knees with his right arm as his left went around her small shoulders, lifting her up into his arms. Kieran was forced to release his hold on her hand, so he latched onto to Tidus' pyjama pant leg as compensation.  
  
When they got to the patio doors, all that was left of the hybrid spell was the circling pyreflies that were slowly disappearing into the atmosphere. Kieran decided to be helpful, and he let go of Tidus' clothing long enough to pry open the heavy glass door and let them inside.  
  
"Kieran?" Tidus asked, making his way towards the couch in the living room. "Go to the phone, put it on speaker and press 'Speed Dial # 1', okay?" He glanced over his shoulder to see that the little boy was already getting a chair from the kitchen to stand on so he could reach the wall-mounted phone.  
  
He gently laid Yuna down on the couch, placing one of the fluffy cushions under her head. A sheen of sweat made her clothes cling to her body, and even though this was a potentially dangerous situation, Tidus' hormones couldn't help but respond to her beauty. He groaned and tried not to focus on how uncomfortable his lower body seemed to be becoming.  
  
"Are you Kieran?" He heard a deep voice ask from the kitchen. Tidus sighed in relief. If there was one way to get your mind out of the gutter, it was to hear your coach's voice. It was a lot like a cold shower, and it was having the desired effects on Tidus.  
  
"Yeah." Kieran replied, not sure of why he was talking to this scary looking man with sunglasses.  
  
"Hey Auron." Tidus came up from behind Kieran, waving at his coach nonchalantly. He kneeled down and whispered to the boy to go and watch Yuna.  
  
"Is something wrong with Yuna?" Auron asked immediately, recalling their conversation mere hours before.  
  
Tidus looked surprised that he had asked. 'Man, this guy doesn't miss anything, does he?' He shook his head, clearing his throat before he began. "I'm not sure exactly.Kieran woke up this morning and saw her outside. She had some kind of force-field around her, and she was fighting a fiend inside it. Then she used this spell, I dunno what it was, and she passed out. Which is why I called *you*." The teen concluded.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with her; she just used a spell she hasn't been trained in yet." Auron stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger several times before he leaned towards the screen and asked, "Did it work?"  
  
"If you mean did it turn the fucker-" Tidus semi-cringed and looked over towards Kieran, who hadn't heard him as he'd feared. He lowered his voice slightly. "-into a bunch of pyreflies, then yes."  
  
"Hmmm.Impressive." Auron appeared to lose himself in thought for a moment, then snapped out of it and returned his attention to the blonde, who was tapping his bare foot on the tiled floor in impatience. "Tell her to come and see me straight away when she wakes up."  
  
Tidus nodded, reaching forward to press the 'End Call' button.  
  
"Oh and Tidus?"  
  
He glanced back up at the screen.  
  
"Don't forget to practice."  
  
"Practice what? Losing? Yeah, whatever." Rolling his cerulean eyes, he punched the button and watched as the screen shorted and went black.  
  
*****************************  
  
As Jade stepped out of the car, her mouth dropped open in the astonishment only a child can possess. Her viridian eyes widened slightly as they took in the sight of the large, important looking building before her. Although it looked none too spectacular on the outside, the only extravagant thing being the sign announcing "Julienne Delacroix School of Dance", the little girl was already imagining what kind of fanciful things awaited her inside.  
  
"C'mon Lulu!" She cried, rushing over and grabbing the mage's hand.  
  
Lulu smiled down at her, watching her auburn hair bounce as they walked hurriedly towards the entrance. The automatic doors hissed open as they approached them, and as they stepped inside Jade discovered that she had been right in her imaginative predictions.  
  
The first thing you noticed upon entering the building was the sheer size of it. It most certainly did not look so voluminous from the outside, but appeared to be larger than several blitzball stadiums to the little girl currently admiring it. The second thing that came into sight was the gleaming crystal statue situated in the center of the main foyer. It depicted, in exquisite detail, two ballet dancers in the middle of performing a complex-looking pas de deux, the male dancer lifting the female into the air, her body posed in a graceful arabesque.  
  
The walls were painted off-white, and marble pillars could be found in two parallel rows that ran from one end of the room to the other. As they walked down a black carpet towards a mahogany desk at the far end of the room, Lulu and Jade both looked to the side. Beyond the pillars the walls were glass and could be seen into. They watched classes going on as they strolled slowly towards the desk, seeing people of all ages, and both sexes notably, practicing the fine art in different rooms. Right before the carpet stopped at the tall desk, Jade caught sight of a class of five and six year old girls just to her right. A grin appeared on her face, and Lulu couldn't help but smile as she watched a spark ignite in the girl's eyes.  
  
"Good morning," An elderly woman behind the desk greeted. She smiled, making the few laugh lines that existed on her face to slightly crinkle her small blue eyes, giving her the look of a kindly grandmother. "Are you here to register?" She knew to ask, because the signed-up dancers would simply walk past the desk and into the respective change rooms at the rear of the building.  
  
"We're here to check things out, right Jade?" Lulu answered. She looked to the girl, who nodded vigorously in agreement. "We just want to see if the classes will suit her or not."  
  
"Wonderful!" The woman replied, seeming genuinely happy that they were there. "I'll show you around the place." She offered, rising from her chair. She turned and tapped another woman with dark brown hair on the shoulder, telling her that she would be back shortly and to sit at the front for a while. The woman nodded and handed the elderly woman her glasses, which had been sitting on the desk near her computer screen.  
  
"This way, please," The woman, whose name tag labelled her as 'Linda', gestured them towards the area behind the desk once she'd stepped out. "I'll show you the change rooms."  
  
They followed her around the circular desk platform and kept going straight, walking through the doors that bore the faceplate with 'Femelles' engraved into it in flowing script. The change rooms were nothing spectacular: Lockers, benches and some showers for the older women to use after rehearsal.  
  
"Now, if you'll follow me, I'll take you into one of the classrooms." Linda said with a warm smile, noticing right away how Jade's eyes lit up at the mere mention of the idea.  
  
They walked out of the change rooms and headed to the left, where Lulu observed that there was a hallway leading to an emergency fire exit. Along the right side of the corridor, however, there were doors that lead into the classrooms. Each door was neatly labelled with a number, and Linda stopped walking nearly as soon as they entered the hall.  
  
She had stopped at the door to the classroom Jade had been watching from in front of the desk, Room Number 18. Knocking lightly, Linda turned to Lulu to giver her some information. "This is the only class we have for younger girls. The ages here will range only from three to seven, at which age the children are moved up to a middle-childhood type of class. It is very laid- back, you'll find."  
  
The door suddenly swung open and a beautiful young woman in a tight jumpsuit and loose skirt filled their vision. She was tall, taller than Lulu at least, and most of her height came from the length of her legs. She had her hair tied back in a bun, and Lulu could tell that the dirty blonde locks would be long if they were let down. Her warm chocolate eyes fell immediately onto Jade, and a smile parted her lips revealing pristine white teeth set into two straight rows.  
  
"I see I have another prospective student." She commented to Linda and Lulu in a light French accent. At Linda's nod, she bent down to Jade's height, peering into the girl's eyes.  
  
"Hello." Jade whispered, raising her hand and bending her fingers twice at the middle knuckle in a tiny wave.  
  
"Bonjour, little one. My name is Tuvia." The woman cooed quietly. "Would you like to come in and watch the class?"  
  
When Jade nodded, Tuvia cast her brown eyes up at Lulu to seek her approval. The mage nodded quickly, waving her hand towards the classroom to show her enthusiasm at the idea. Tuvia smiled, taking Jade's hand and leading her inside, closing the door gently behind her.  
  
"You can go watch her, if you like." Linda informed her, putting her hand on the young woman's shoulders and guiding her back out to the front, where the glass walls were currently being used as viewing areas by people other than just her.  
  
"Thank you," Lulu said quietly, casting a small smile in the older woman's direction. "I'm sure we'll be back very soon to register her."  
  
"I look forward to seeing you again, dear. Have a good day." Linda patted Lulu's shoulder, smiling one last time before turning and walking back towards the desk.  
  
The mage then turned her attention to the classroom, where Jade had been put into one of the single-file lines of children in the middle of the large room. She looked nervous and very excited at the same time, and it made Lulu feel her very first pang of maternal anxiety deep in the pit of her stomach.  
  
She relaxed however, when Tuvia began to lead the class in a set of semi- simultaneous piles and Jade fit right in. The fact that she wasn't in proper attire didn't seem to be an issue at all, and for the Lulu was very glad. The mage folded her arms loosely across her chest, sighing lightly as she watched the tiny girl at the front of the class follow them in their routine exercises, seeming to have not a care in the world.  
  
"Sorry I'm late."  
  
Lulu whirled around at the familiar lilting voice, colliding with its source's tall 5'11 frame. Her hands automatically came up to rest flat against his chest, ready to push him away if necessary. Burgundy eyes clashed with those of warm russet, and Lulu relaxed inwardly as her mind registered both the sight and scent of her Besaidian "house-mate".  
  
"Wakka." The mage started up at him questioningly, her head tilted slightly so she could look directly into his eyes. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I got your message, so I called you, ya? But you never answered, so I figured I'd better just come here and see what you wanted so you wouldn't get all pissed at me again." The blitzer replied, realizing that the petite woman's hands were still resting on his chest. His shirt was thin and he could feel that her lithe fingers were as cold as they looked.  
  
"Well, all I said in my message was that you could get a hold of me if you needed to. I don't know what you heard, but it obviously wasn't that." Lulu countered, finally remembering that her hands were still touching something warm that wasn't the wall or her sides. He pulled her hands away as if burned, crossing her arms tightly over her ample chest, which exposed even more cleavage than normal to Wakka's wandering gaze.  
  
"Well, either way I'm here now!" Wakka responded, sounding a slight bit annoyed that he'd had to leave his practice for nothing. That annoyance dissipated, however, at the sight of Jade doing some beginner level leg- lifts with the rest of the child's ballet class. He tore his eyes away from Lulu's curvaceous form and watched her do the exercises, smiling brightly all the while. He couldn't suppress the smile that came to his lips, and he stepped closer to the glass, his shoulder lightly brushing Lulu's as he did so.  
  
The tingle that he felt from the contact was the same as the lingering sensations he could still feel on his chest, and he secretly enjoyed them. Although he would never admit it out loud to anyone other than Tidus or Leathen, Wakka felt strong inklings of hormonal lust aimed at the so-called "Ice Queen" that stood beside him. They were the kind of feelings that you weren't sure whether you should embrace them or try and forget about them. At the moment, however, the blitzer wanted nothing more than to pin the lithe girl at his side against the glass wall and kiss her senseless.  
  
He quickly banished those thoughts as Lulu came to stand directly beside him, her elbow lightly touching his arm as a result of her proximity. He sighed, folding his own arms over his chest and opting to wait until later to think about playing tonsil hockey with the gorgeous young woman he was 'unfortunately blessed' to be living with.  
  
"I'm going to register her here before we leave, okay?" Lulu asked after a few moments of silence had passed and the group inside had moved on to the barre for exercises.  
  
Wakka shrugged. "Sure, whatever." He stole a glance sideways at the lower half of the mage's body, and found himself wishing he hadn't.  
  
'Damn!' He thought, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. 'I have a new-found love of skirts.'  
  
**********************************  
  
Tidus let an angered sigh escape his lips as he thought of the impending tournament that was taking place in less than 24 hours time. He clenched his fists at his sides at the mere idea of losing on purpose to the snivelling Goers. Never once did the thought that this whole situation was the result of a mistake he himself made cross his mind. He growled deep in the back of his throat, having the sudden urge to retreat into the workout room near the back of the house and take his frustration out on the punching bag and weights installed there.  
  
"Da.Tidus?" Came a quiet question from the living room. In his anger, the blonde had never heard the child hesitate before calling him 'Daddy' again, opting instead to settle for his name. He turned his head in that general direction and found Kieran kneeling on the floor beside the couch, holding Yuna's lithe hand as if it was a piece of glass. Tidus strolled over to the dark blue furniture in four long strides, taking a knee beside the boy.  
  
"Is she gonna be okay?" He asked in a quiet whisper, watching her serene face with worry in his oceanic eyes.  
  
"Sir Auron said she'll be fine." Tidus answered, deciding to use the elder man's formal title.  
  
"When will she wake up?" Kieran raised his eyes to Tidus for an answer.  
  
Just as the blitzer began to shake his head, Yuna stirred as if on queue. Her fingers twitched, compulsively getting a grip on Kieran's small hand, and her eyelids fluttered. She brought her other hand up to rub her temples, concealing her eyes for a moment, before slowly sitting up and bringing her hand back down to her side.  
  
Tidus was once again stunned by how differently beautiful this young woman's eyes were. In his mind, which was obviously poetic at heart, Tidus chose to describe them as a blue that could rival the brightest Besaidian sky, and a green that put the rainforests near Kilika to shame. He moved nearer to her side to tell her about Auron, when she suddenly moaned and began to fall backwards again. Blitzball-honed reflexes enabled Tidus' arm to shoot out and encircle her back, cradling her gently and preventing her from falling.  
  
When her head didn't hit the pillow again, as she thought it would, Yuna's eyes fluttered open again only to be met with the most stunning pair of cerulean orbs she'd ever seen. The twin oceans were swimming with worry and apprehension that she had never seen the blonde show before, and it surprised her to think that he'd be concerned about her. Then she remembered why.  
  
She could recall using her Holy spell and vaporizing the fiend that she'd summoned, and remembered that her last conscious thought was of hearing Kieran's terrified shout and Tidus' cry for him to stay back. They had most likely seen all the important things there were to see, and it was this that made Yuna's bi-colored eyes sparkle with the same worry that Tidus displayed.  
  
"Yuna? Are you alright?" Tidus asked quietly.  
  
The summoner could feel his warm breath against her cheek, and she shivered despite herself. Though she had never been the kind of person to express most of her feelings out loud, she was most certain that she would never tell anyone of the thoughts in her mind at the moment. She was, at present, imagining briefly what it would feel like to have that breath and that mouth elsewhere on her body, like her neck to name one place. She also could help but notice the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and she took great pleasure in glancing down at the washboard stomach his smooth golden skin stretched across. She looked at her hands for a quick second, and couldn't help but wonder what his chest would feel like under her roving fingers. She shivered yet again, and began berating herself for having such thoughts about someone she barely knew, let alone liked.  
  
"Are you cold Mommy?" Kieran asked, having seen her shake briefly. He had also noticed something that the two teens hadn't. Tidus had unconsciously pulled her closer when she shivered, acting on his instinct to warm her up.  
  
When Yuna realized that she wasn't cold at all, she shook her head, leaning slightly into the warmth that Tidus was providing her with. All of a sudden her mind was flooded with the images of the dream she'd had, for the seventh time in a week, just hours earlier. She squeezed her eyes shut, bringing one hand up from its resting place on Tidus forearm to rub at them almost tiredly.  
  
"You okay?" Tidus asked, sounding slightly offhandedly concerned.  
  
Yuna removed her hand and turned to smile up at him warmly. "I'm fine, don't worry."  
  
"No problem; I won't." As soon as the words left his mouth, Tidus felt something that he couldn't remember feeling for a very long time. He felt instantaneous regret; the kind of lament that tugged at the proverbial strings of one's soul.  
  
The hurt that usually results from actions that cause such deploring was reflected clearly in the young summoner's eyes, though it was only visible for a moment. Yuna's eyes flickered with pangs of hurt before she lowered her gaze to look at her lap, where both her hands now rested.  
  
Kieran broke the uneasy silence before anything else could be said or done. "An old man called here for you, Mommy." He said, gesturing to the wall- mounted video phone with his small hand.  
  
"Sir Auron? He called?" Yuna raised her eyes back up to Tidus', this time searching for an answer to her question instead of feelings she only imagined existed.  
  
"Not really." The blonde hesitated, pulling away from Yuna and rising to his feet. "I called him when we brought you inside. He said he wanted you to go see him as soon as you woke up." He ran a hand through his hair and panicked when some happiness passed into Yuna's gaze at the idea of him worrying about her, which was the truth no matter how much he told himself it wasn't. "I wanted to know what the hell you were doing out there."  
  
"Tidus!" Yuna snapped, gesturing to Kieran with a nod of her head. "Don't curse around him."  
  
"So what? I'm sure he's heard worse before anyway!" Tidus' voice had risen to a yell in volume, and the little boy standing to the side was beginning to look a little scared.  
  
Yuna rose slowly to her feet, glaring blue and green daggers at the slightly taller blonde. Without removing her eyes from his, which were just as icy as hers were, she spoke to Kieran. "Go get your shoes and coat on, please Kieran. We're going to go visit Sir Auron, okay?" Her voice was warm and calm even though her eyes told the story that she was ready to kill the blitzer standing in front of her.  
  
As the little boy nodded and scurried over to the front door to do as she'd asked, Tidus chose to speak. "What are you getting so worked up over?" He demanded in a harsh whisper, which was still fairly loud. "Like I said; I'm sure he's heard *way* worse at the orphanage."  
  
Yuna shook her head, an exasperated chuckle escaping her lips. "You just don't get it, do you Tidus?" Her voice was quiet and even, but it emanated anger just as well as a shout would have. "We have him so that we can help him *forget* what happened in that place, not remind him. If you aren't interested in doing that, then I don't want you anywhere near him." She added the rest as a sort of afterthought, more so to herself, but still audible. "No child should have to live with someone they're afraid of."  
  
With this having been said, Yuna turned and walked towards the door. She didn't seem to notice that she was still dressed in her summoner's clothing, or that said clothing was clinging to her body as a result of perspiration. She simply grabbed her thin jacket and car keys, ushering Kieran out the door and closing it behind them without so much as a backward glance at Tidus.  
  
The blitzer stood beside the couch, fists clenched and breathing slightly heavy out of anger. He watched as Yuna's silver car pulled out of the driveway and drove to the left in the direction of Auron's home. He growled in frustration, stalking towards the weight room and searching the wall for something. He found the dent he'd made when he'd thrown the barbell, and he shook his head, remembering how angry he'd been then. Without any warning whatsoever, he reeled back and threw a punch into the wall using his whole body as extra force. He wasn't concerned that his knuckles were bleeding as he turned, leaned his back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting with his knees pulled up to his neck.  
  
The only thing he was concerned about was the fact that he was getting so worked up over nothing. So what if Yuna was mad at him? It's not like it was the end of the world.  
  
He had simply decided that that dent needed a friend, that was all...Right?  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Well there ya go folks! I know it's been more than 30 days, but I hope that this chapter was enough to keep ya'll satisfied for a while! I know it was kinda boring, but I'll make up for that next time I promise!!  
  
Next time we'll check in with Rikku, Carter and their child, join Lulu, Wakka and Jade for some ice cream [with a side order of naughty thoughts (- _^)], find out what Auron has to say to Yuna, and begin the dreaded tournament of DOOM!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!  
  
Ja ne, Digi-Esca Girl  
  
laurie_22@hotmail.com 


	17. Haunting Gazes

A Spadone is a large, two-handed sword used by knights in medieval times.

And Baby Makes Three

Chapter Seventeen

By: Digi-Esca Girl )

Disclaimer: If you don't know what goes here by now, you need help...

IMPORTANT CHAPTER NOTE!!!!! : We check in with Rikku and her family first, and then switch back to Lulu, Wakka and Jade. If you will recall, their last scene took place in the afternoon, and their scene in this chapter picks up immediately after where it ended last chapter. Basically, Rikku's scene takes place the night before, and then Lulu's happens the next afternoon, k? Have I confused you yet? (-)

SECOND IMPORTANT CHAPTER NOTE!!!!! : I'm back from the dead!! Yay!! You guys would not believe how difficult it was to get writing this again, but once I got started I found that I couldn't stop! It's currently quite late where I am, and I've finally wrapped this up so I can go to sleep! Anyways, thank you to everyone who has ever reviewed this fic; your support means sooooooo much!! I'd like to send out special thanks to DClick and Lucifer's Garden: DClick, you reminded me that I should move my author's note so that my story wouldn't get deleted, so thanks muchly!! And Lucifer's Garden, you took the time to send me your ideas for this fic, which were very awesome by the way, and actually helped me to write this chapter; your story "Someone To Lean On" inspired me to write tonight, so thank you so so so so so much!! So here we go everyone: enjoy the ride and keep reviewing!

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"I suppose I'd better get used to this..." Rikku muttered absentmindedly under her breath as she turned to the 235th page in her romance novel. It seemed like a normal enough setting.

She was curled up under a small quilt on a burgundy armchair, the fireplace burning and crackling to her right. The only other lights on were the oven light in the gleaming white kitchen and the dim lamp on the end table beside Rikku's chair. The CD spinning in the stereo sitting on the shelf behind her was playing a young woman singing softly in Al Bhed, and little Alatriel was sound asleep on the couch. She had been reading through a large picture book and had fallen asleep some time ago. Rikku simply didn't have the heart to move her just yet, even though she figured she probably should soon. The only thing out of place was the small musical clock sitting on top of the television that was about to chime three times, signaling the start of 3:00 AM.

Rikku sighed. "It's not fair to Riel though..." She had taken to using the nickname she'd given the child more often than her actual name. When she'd told Carter he'd smiled warmly, laughter shining in his warm chocolate eyes. At the thought of her handsome housemate, Rikku frowned, remembering that he was the cause of her current state of malcontent.

Ever since he'd landed a job downtown at the technology mega-conglomerate Nanan-Tech, Rikku and her 'daughter' had been seeing less and less of the tall blonde young man. Alatriel cried the first two nights when he wasn't there with Rikku to tuck her in, but she had not seemed as bothered on the three nights that had passed since then. This disturbed Rikku more than her tears had.

The young Al Bhed had been tempted, on more than one occasion, to call up Carter and demand that he come home. She realized however, that only having known him for a week and some odd days did not give her the authority or the right to do such a thing. She shook her head, closing her book and setting it gently on the end table beside her.

Rising to her feet, she slowly made her way over to the couch where Alatriel was sleeping. She stood over her for a brief moment, smiling warmly as she watched the girl suck on her thumb in her slumber. Bending over, Rikku lifted her slowly into her arms, shifting her until she lay lax against her shoulder. The tiny girl sighed in her sleep, shoving her thumb further into her mouth for more comfort. Rikku patted her back gently as she walked out of the living room and made her way carefully up the stairs.

Just as she was closing the door to Alatriel's room, where she was now all tucked into her bed, Rikku heard the almost inaudible sound of the front door being shut very quietly. She smiled broadly, lengthening her strides so as to reach the stairs faster as she moved down the hallway. She stopped abruptly at the top of the staircase, looking down at the young man who was almost always in her thoughts. Her smile widened, despite her lingering anger, when he glanced up at her and he seemed to relax slightly.

"Hey." He called out quietly, placing his shoes and jacket in the closet. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Rikku's quiet giggle couldn't be contained. "I wanted to wait up for you. I know I hate coming home to a seemingly empty place, I thought you might too." She watched as he left his briefcase beside the door and began to walk in the direction of the staircase. He loosened his tie as he ascended the carpeted structure, moving ever closer to her current location.

Once he was standing in front of her, he couldn't hide his smile despite being fatigued. "Thanks Rikku."

"No problem!" Her returned smile was bright, just like it always was in his thoughts of her.

He was about to start walking to his room, when he seemed to remember something and turned back towards her. "Were there any leftovers from dinner? I'm starved..." As if on queue, his stomach growled hungrily, eliciting a giggle from the Al Bhed girl and another smile from Carter.

"I'll go warm them up for you and you go have a shower and get your jammies on, okay?" Her voice was surprisingly bubbly for 3 am, but Carter couldn't imagine her any other way.

He looked puzzlingly at her. "Jammies?"

"Your pajamas, silly!" She replied, laughing quietly again. He nodded his understanding, turning and heading for his bedroom after throwing her another turn-your-legs-to-jelly smile.

She sighed once he had walked through his bedroom door, and turned to walk dazedly down the stairs and into the kitchen. Once there, she shook her head and berated herself for acting like a love sick teenager.

'Why am I always so giddy around him?' She thought as she pulled open the fridge door and searched for the dinner she'd served several hours ago. 'I mean, it's not like I'm in love with him...'

"Aha!" She whispered triumphantly as she extracted a blue plastic container from one of the upper shelves. She peeled off the lid, inhaling the scent of Fettuccini Alfredo that hit her nose. She piled the pasta onto a plate and stuck it in the microwave, inputting a time and hitting 'Start' to warm it up. In the meantime, she put a fork and knife on the table and poured the last of the red Kool Aid she and Alatriel had made that day into a glass, also setting it into the table. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed what she'd done. Deciding she was satisfied, she made her way into the living room to pick up where she'd left off in her novel.

Meanwhile, Carter stood upstairs under the stream of hot water coming from his shower, his eyes closed in relaxation as the gentle pounding eased away the tension of the day. He was so busy at work, and he doubted that it would ease up anytime soon. They had just signed a huge deal with the biggest video game company in all of Spira, and there was so much work to do it seemed inhumane. He sighed, remembering all the files he had saved on his computer for tomorrow. He simply did not have the energy to stay at work that long and finish all of the invoices and quotes they passed down to him from the shipping and manufacturing offices.

A smile came to his face, despite his grueling day, when he thought of his welcoming party. He couldn't remember a time when the blonde Al Bhed he was staying with had ever looked cuter than she had when she'd greeted him from the top of the stairs. With her hair piled atop her head in a messy ponytail and her loose fitting pajamas hanging gently on her lithe frame, she looked like the slightly more grown up version of a little girl waking up too early on Christmas morning.

'She probably loves Christmas...' Carter thought, squirting some shampoo onto his head and rubbing it into his hair. 'Which is great, considering it's my favorite holiday!" His smile widened at the thought of her racing down the stairs that morning and practically leaping for her gifts. A faint blush stained his cheeks when his mind wandered over to the image of the two of them getting caught under the mistletoe, and he shook his head reluctantly to clear the picture.

After he had washed his hair and gone over his body with the body wash that sat on the shelf in the shower, he stepped out and dried himself off with the red towel he'd grabbed from the hall closet. He walked out into the bedroom with that same towel slung around his waist, and he made his way over to his bed where he'd already laid out his pajamas. He pulled on the forest green cotton pants after he'd relieved himself of his towel, and yanked the thin white t-shirt over his head and down over his torso. He headed out into the hallway, turning off his light and closing the door behind him as he went quietly. Creeping on tip-toe past Alatriel's room, he finally made it to the stairs and descended.

As he neared the kitchen, the scent of his favorite pasta wafted through his nostrils and up into his brain, sending him all sorts of pleasant feelings of anticipation. If given more time exposed to the wonderful aroma, the young man was sure his mouth would have watered. The last few meters of distance between him and the kitchen were closed with three long strides, and his eyes widened slightly at the feel of the cold pale tiles under his feet. He took in the already set table, complete with a drink of Kool Aid, and smiled when he saw the microwave mounted above the stove flashing a message in green that 'his meal was ready to enjoy'. It was after this that he noticed that something important was missing from the picture. His eyes darted around the kitchen, but Rikku was nowhere to be found.

Turning his attention to the other rooms of the house, he stepped back out of the kitchen and entered the living room. He let a sigh escape past his lips when he found the young Al Bhed curled up in an armchair with her recent favorite book, fast asleep. He walked over to her and kneeled down so that his face was level with hers. Unable to resist, he reached out a hand and brushed her golden bangs back behind her ear, letting his fingers dance softly down her jaw-line before retreating. She stirred lightly, and the novel she grasped loosely in her small hand fell to the carpeted floor as her grip relaxed. Her swirled viridian eyes opened slowly and took in the sight of Carter quietly placing the fallen book on the end table beside the chair, and then rising to his feet to turn off the still-playing stereo. She smiled up at him when he turned his attention back to her and kneeled down beside her once again.

"Sorry 'bout that..." Rikku sighed, her small mouth opening wide in a yawn.

"You can go to bed if you want, Rikku." Carter offered politely. "I can see you're tired."

The young woman looked appalled at the very thought. "That'd be rude of me!" Her perky attitude returned in a matter of mere seconds and she sat up straight with a smile on her face that could put the sun to shame in its radiance. At least...that's what Carter thought...

"Well then," He said, standing and holding out his hand, "you'd better come and sit with me while I eat." The smirk that appeared on his face was irresistible; Rikku reached out and placed her small hand into his without any hesitation whatsoever. He led her into the dining room, only letting go of her hand when he sat down and she moved in the direction of the microwave.

Rikku got out the container and brought it over to the table, grabbing Carter's fork and pushing the pasta onto his plate. It steamed and wafted up to his nose; he inhaled it greedily, loving the smell. He smiled warmly up at Rikku, who had now taken her seat at the other end of the table.

"It looks delicious," Twirling several noodles onto his fork, Carter put them into his mouth. After he'd swallowed them he corrected himself, "It's really good, Rikku. I love pasta!"

As he continued to eat, the Al Bhed couldn't help but feel that he was being overly complimentary and much too enthusiastic. 'He's probably just doing it so he'll get...' She shook her head, not liking where her thoughts were traveling.

After a few minutes, Carter noticed that Rikku's chin was resting against her chest and her breathing had become deep and even once again. He smiled, shaking his head lightly and finishing his meal. Once he was done and had put all his dishes in the sink, he walked over to her and lifted her gently into his arms.

Turning off the lights as he went, Carter made his way upstairs and into Rikku's bedroom. He leaned her against his chest and held her close with one arm, using the other to push back the sheets on her bed and arrange her pillows properly. He then laid her down, covering her up to her chin with the covers and watching as she unconsciously adjusted herself and shifted onto her side. Carter brushed her hair out of her face again, noting mentally how soft it was to the touch, and watched with a smile as she sighed lightly. He began to lean forward, but stopped himself as if debating. He remained in thought for several minutes before he made up his mind. Leaning down slowly, he pressed a light butterfly kiss to Rikku's forehead, allowing his lips to linger on her warm skin for a few fleeting seconds.

He rose after that, double checking that she was fully covered by her sheets. When he was certain she'd be warm throughout the night he headed out the door, closing it softly behind him. Leaning against it he sighed, running both his hands through his sandy blonde hair. He walked only a few steps down the hallway before reaching Alatriel's door, and he opened it as quietly as he could and peered inside.

The small girl was curled up in her child-size bed, covered up to her nose and sleeping as peacefully as one could. He marveled to himself at how much he'd come to care for this child, and he began to think about what would happen to her once their year with her was up. Shaking his head he decided not to dwell on it as he entered his own room. He pulled his t-shirt slowly over his head and tossed it nonchalantly into a corner near his dresser.

He climbed into bed and began to slowly drift off to sleep, but he simply had too much on his mind to allow slumber to take hold of him right away. Pushing away all thoughts of work and orphanages, he rolled over onto his side and continued to try and clear his mind. After a while all that was left in his thoughts was the memory of the day that he, Rikku and Alatriel and gone to the park and played in the sand. He smiled and closed his eyes, burying his face into his feather-pillow and allowing the satin folds of sleep to wrap around him and enclose his mind in darkness and dreams.

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"Daddy!"

Wakka turned his gaze from the window to the grinning little girl at his feet. A wide smile wound its way onto his lips as he reached down and hoisted the small child up into his arms. He sat her on his shoulder, supporting her legs to keep her from falling. She assisted with this endeavor by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're here!" She squealed, delighted that Wakka had come at all. Then another thought entered her mind and she voiced it. "Did you watch me?"

"O' course I did!" Smiling wider, if it was possible, the blitzer continued. "Someday I'll be watchin' you up on a big stage, ya?" He heard quick footsteps behind him and felt Lulu's eyes on his back before she spoke up, but he chose to ignore it and let her think she surprised him.

"I hate to say it..." Lulu began, coming to stand in front of Wakka and look up at Jade on her perch, "...but I think Wakka's right about that. You're very good, Jade."

A grin appeared on the girl's face that could have lit up the entire city. "Thanks! I watched it on T.V lots and practiced."

Stealing a brief glance at Wakka, Lulu replied, "I bet you did!"

A giggle was the response she got, followed by a squeal as Wakka picked her up and shifted her to sit behind his neck, each of her legs dangling over one of his shoulders. "Shall we?" His accent was lighter than it usually was, but Lulu had already picked up on the fact that it was less pronounced when he was at ease.

"Back home?" The mage questioned back, her left eyebrow raised.

Another idea suddenly struck Jade. "Ice cream! Ice cream!" She offered, looking down at both Lulu and Wakka hopefully.

The Besaidian was glad that he couldn't see her face; he knew her green eyes were huge and adorable, and he also knew that he'd give in immediately if he saw them. He was contemplating saying no and letting Lulu finish, because he was sure that she would also decline. That's why her answer was quite surprising when it floated from her cranberry-tinted lips up to his ears.

"What a great idea, Jade!" There was a gleam in her deep eyes Jade hadn't ever seen before.

Wakka looked at her face skeptically, but the smile set there was genuine. "...Okay then!" Speaking after a moment, Wakka agreed. "Let's go, ya?"

Jade clapped approvingly, wrapping her small arms around Wakka's head in a thank-you hug. The blitzer reached up and patted her forearm with his left hand, digging in his pocket for his keys with his right. Seeing out of the corner of his eye Lulu walking in a different direction, he spoke.

"Where you goin' ?" He stopped and turned to look at her; she was already five feet away.

"To my car." Lulu replied, wanting badly to just shout 'DUH!' and walk away, "I figured Jade would want to go with you." She cut him off when he opened his mouth to speak. "I can meet you at the diner on 42nd street, okay?"

Wakka closed his mouth slowly, eliciting a giggle from Jade, and nodded dumbly. How had she known what he was going to ask?

'Man I hate women sometimes...' He thought, turning to walk to his truck with a shake of his head. He lifted Jade off of his shoulders and put her in the back seat of the quad cab vehicle, buckling her in tightly before he closed the door and went around to the driver's side. As he got in he looked over to where Lulu had also climbed in, but hadn't yet shut her door.

He blinked several times as he took in the sight of her long legs, even more exposed as a result of her skirt riding up, and found that he couldn't tear his eyes away. Continuing to blink mechanically, as if in a trance, Wakka found that he couldn't react fast enough when Lulu's gaze traveled up to meet his and she followed his line of sight.

What happened next, Wakka wasn't exactly sure. A red-hot glare appeared in her eyes that could melt steel, but a very satisfied smirk curled its way onto her lips, serving to confuse the blitzer. She left her door ajar for only another second before slamming it shut, turning the ignition and pulling out of her stall. Shaking his head again, Wakka cleared his throat and rubbed furiously at his eyes.

'What the hell, man?!' His mind screamed at him.

'Niiiice...Very nice...' Another voice sounded.

'Isn't it illegal to show that much skin off of a beach?!' Some other vocalization exclaimed.

"Daddy?"

'Okay, that one didn't come from my head...' Wakka stated mentally, turning around to look at Jade, the source of the fourth voice.

"Yeah?" He replied, meeting her hazel gaze.

Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "You okay?"

Wakka smiled and turned back around. "I'm fine!"

As he turned the ignition, pulled out of the parking lot and got onto the street, Jade couldn't help but wonder why Wakka had lied to her. After all, when you gripped the steering wheel so hard your knuckles turned white, you weren't fine. Even four-year-olds knew that...

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Just as Lulu sat down in a booth near the back of the small diner minutes later, she saw Wakka's yellow truck pull into a stall right next to hers. Her smirk reappeared at the memory of the look on his face when he'd gazed at her legs, and for the first time in her life she actually felt attractive.

'Hard to believe that it's thanks to Wakka...' She thought, putting her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her palm.

Wakka strolled in, Jade's hand held gently in his, and his russet eyes searched the somewhat crowded eatery for the black mage. When he spotted her something flashed in his eyes that seemed akin to apprehension, but it wasn't there long enough for Lulu to clearly decipher. The two of them walked over to the booth, Wakka slightly pulling Jade forward so that she could slide into the seat first.

She wouldn't let him guide her forward, however, releasing her hold on his hand to move over to Lulu and look up imploringly at her. The mage raised an eyebrow at the girl before pointing to the seat beside her.

"Do you want to sit with me?" She asked quietly, her voice sounding unusually cautious.

Jade's nod backed up her reply. "Yes, please."

The unnecessarily polite response made Lulu smile, and she shifted over so that Jade could clamber up onto the seat that she had just vacated. By the time she had climbed onto the bench, taken off her shoes and bent her legs so that she was sitting on her feet, which allowed her to be high enough to see over the high table, Wakka had taken his seat and was drumming his fingers against his thigh.

"Okay!" Jade announced, "I'm ready now!"

"Well, good!" Wakka replied with a smile, "'Cause now you have to go get the ice cream, ya?"

"No!" Smiling a smile only a child can, Jade brought up one hand to hide her blushing face.

"Weeeelllllllll..." Wakka dragged the word out as if deep in thought. "I suppose I could go get...But just this once, ya?"

Jade nodded approvingly. "Can I have Cookie Dough??" She questioned, gazing up at the now standing Besaidian.

"Sure, why not?" His voice caught very briefly in his throat as he turned to address Lulu, the memory of her smooth ivory legs still fresh in his mind. "What do you want Lu?"

"I think I'll have the Mint Chocolate Chip." She replied after a moment of studying the long list of ice cream flavors displayed on a rectangular video-screen that was mounted on the wall behind the counter.

"Done. I'll be right back." Wakka said, turning to walk up to the counter and order the double-scoop cones. He selected Fudge Chocolate for himself and tried his hardest not to vividly remember exactly what Lulu's legs had looked like in that car...

"Am I gonna go to ballet all the time now?" Jade asked quietly, shyly casting her gaze to her lap.

"Whenever you want to go, we'll take you." Lulu replied softly. "It all depends on when your class meets during the week."

This elicited a wide smile from the girl, and the black mage couldn't help but smile back. Her gaze shifted over towards the counter where Wakka was leaning against the plastic dome that kept the ice cream covered and cold. He was thumbing through the various notes of Gil in his wallet, searching for a certain one. Pinching the tip of his tongue between the incisor teeth on the left side of his mouth, the look of concentration on his tanned face seemed to deepen. Lulu's smile lingered on her cranberry lips a little longer than she'd thought that it would, and she turned her attention back to Jade as the man behind the counter handed Wakka three ice cream cones.

"One cookie dough..." Wakka's voice interrupted the thoughts of both occupants of the table as he approached from the counter. He reached out his left arm towards Jade, her child size cone resting between his thumb and first two fingers. Taking it from him with a smile and a quiet 'thank you', Jade was the picture of what every parent would want in a child: quiet, polite and cute!

"...mint chip for Lu..." He handed her the double scoop cone along with one of the napkins he'd grabbed from the counter.

"...and a whole lotta chocolate for me, ya?" A smile crept onto his face as he took his seat opposite the two girls and gazed at his triple scoop cone. His mouth was practically watering as he noticed that a change had been made to his favorite ice cream: they'd added chunks of fudge brownie to the already sinful mixture.

"Thank you Wakka." Lulu's voice broke his train of chocolate-thought and turned it to something else entirely when she took her first lick of her cone.

"No problem." Wakka replied simply, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of her tongue tracing a path across the ice cream. After three more licks he finally managed to turn his gaze to Jade, who was happily getting her ice cream everywhere but her mouth, it seemed.

He'd been able to avert his gaze once but the true question he do it again?

'It's gonna be a long day, ya?' He thought, groaning inwardly as Lulu unconsciously licked away some ice cream that had found its way to the corner of her mouth.

An hour later found the three of them back at home. In the truck on the way there, Jade had quietly asked Wakka if he would play with her once they reached the house. Even though he desperately wanted to get in more practice time before the game, he found that he just couldn't make the declining words form on his tongue. The two of them went straight into the backyard, where Wakka discovered that Jade's idea of play was showing him all of the things she'd learned in class earlier. The blitzer surprised himself by not once complaining about the fact that he'd already seen these beginner moves before, opting instead to continually compliment the girl with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Lulu had noticed a thick envelope sticking out of the mailbox when she'd driven up, and had taken it inside with her. She sat down at the kitchen table and used the sunlight pouring in from the wide windows as her reading light. Opening the envelope with a silver, blade-shaped letter opener, Lulu extracted the crisply folded papers from inside and slowly flattened them out in front of her.

The first starch-white sheet sported a blue and gold border and had "Zanarkand High" printed in bold navy ink across the top. As she skimmed the page, she discovered that it was an introductory page of sorts; it was a welcoming message that outlined the basics of their assignment and reminded the reader of how important it was. Already knowing all of this general information, Lulu flipped it over onto the table so that its blank side was facing up and turned her attention to the next page.

It had the same border and heading, but this page was serving as a table of contents for the package. She knew that she was going to read all of it, so the mage didn't even bother with this page, simply flipping it over on top of the first one. The next page outlined what she'd learned the night she and Wakka went to pick up Jade from the orphanage. It displayed information about her and Wakka, their past schools, parents, where they were born, and the like, and also showed Jade's general information. It was the same material that had flashed on the registration screens they'd encountered at the orphanage that night. There was a footnote underneath Jade's information that stated that it was continued on the following page.

Lulu eagerly flipped over her current page, eager to find out more about the engaging little girl that had been entrusted into her care. As the title heading came into her view for the fourth time, she realized that she should probably go over this information with Wakka later on, as he was currently closer to Jade than Lulu herself was. With this in mind she flipped over pages four and five, the ones with Jade's background on them, and focused on page six. This page contained the requirements that were needed in order to obtain a passing grade, and what would get them the 85% that was necessary in order to receive the scholarships. It basically said that each couple had to have their finances in order - if either or both students got jobs on the side - and their passing grades maintained in school. Also, they had to be living together in a civil way; meaning that they had to be getting along and be happy with each other. The most important thing was listed as "The Interview"; it accounted for 49% of the final grade. A footnote under it read, 'For more details, turn to page seven'.

As Lulu read on through the package, she discovered that the interview was an examination of sorts for the child in each family. They would be questioned about their home life and how they got along with their 'parents' on a daily basis. Not much more detail was given on what kind of questions would be asked.

'I guess they don't want us to make our children memorize appropriate answers so we can pass. Pretty easy way to cheat...' Lulu mused as she continued on to page eight.

The remaining three pages of the document outlined how the students would be returning to school the Monday following the blitzball tournament. It included information on the play-school set up inside the high school, which would allow all of the students to commit their full attention to their work and not have to worry about the children. It came at no cost by default, a fact that served only to confuse Lulu.

'I thought we were supposed to pay for everything...?' She wondered, flipping the page over and skimming the next. It answered her question, more or less.

The play-school would always remain a free service, but if the students offered to pay for it, meaning that they had the means by which to do so by way of a job, they would receive a bonus percent for being more independent and resourceful. It also outlined the bank accounts that each couple was given access to. The sum inside it was more than enough to tide students over for a year as a small family, but if they decided to go ahead and get a job anyway, they would be rewarded with another bonus mark. The only catch to this was that they were expected to keep the job for at least six months out of the year allotted, preventing students from just getting hired for the extra mark, and then quitting for convenience's sake.

"So..." Lulu muttered to herself, her eyes darting over the page once more, "if we pay for things ourselves we get bonus marks, but we have to keep the job as long as we can...? And we don't actually need to get a job?"

The last paragraph on the page read that the students would be 'punished' by sticking only to the account that the school had set up for them. They would lose five percent from their final grade if neither of them got a job, and would lose three if they instead, for some reason, became involved in volunteer work for no profit. It also mentioned that the healthy sums of Gil in these provided accounts had been contributed by the city, and were additionally sponsored by the Spiran Blitzball Association, the very heart and soul of professional blitzball.

The final page basically stated that students would be expected to stay students, no matter what was going on in their households. If there were problems at home, like students not getting along, they were to be dealt with by the students. Any dispute that involved any kind of police intervention would result in a failing grade and possibly even expulsion from school if the problem were severe enough.

Lulu leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms out in front of her. 'I wonder if Wakka will even be interested in this...After all the tournament's tomorrow...' A frown made its way across her lips as she thought of the dilemma that faced Wakka and his team-mates.

As much as she hated to admit it, Lulu actually felt somewhat sorry for the Besaidian, despite the fact that the whole situation was partially his fault...

"Hey Lu!"

The mage turned her head at the sound of Wakka's voice, and was surprised to hear it coming from the front door instead of the backyard. She cocked an eyebrow, leaning to the side in her chair to look around the corner at the foyer. Sure enough, her ears had not deceived her and Wakka was walking inside from the front foyer, Jade in one arm and another envelope in his free hand.

"Check that out, ya?" He said, tossing the thick package at her lightly. She caught it with ease and examined the sender address, which caused her eyebrow to rise further.

"You applied to the sports campus in Bevelle?" She questioned, watching as Jade began playing with the neckline of Wakka's shirt absentmindedly.

Wakka grinned, taking a seat beside her at the kitchen table. He seemed in a genuinely good mood, and Lulu was surprised to find that he looked much more attractive when he was happy and smiling. "That's the beauty of it; I didn't even have'ta apply, ya?"

"Does that mean Daddy's smart?" Jade asked, reaching around behind Wakka's head to pull at the tag of his shirt.

"It's a blitzball school, Jade, not an actual school." Lulu replied, trying to take the sharp edge out of her voice.

"Oh. Okay!" The girl smiled and continued with her yanking.

There was a short pause before Lulu spoke again. "So I take it that you're going? It is a very prestigious school..."

Wakka actually hesitated, which came as another surprise to the mage. "I haven't decided for sure yet, but there's a 95% chance, ya?" He replied, shifting Jade from his left arm to his right. She looked a little perturbed that her pulling had been interrupted, but she resumed after only a few seconds of 'being angry'.

There was another short silence, but it was broken before too long. "So is that from the school?" Wakka gestured to the documents in front of Lulu on the table. She nodded somewhat curtly, as if she was really stressed and could only allow herself so much movement before she snapped. "We'll read it later, ya?"

"Yeah!" Jade replied, despite the fact that the comment was not directed at her. Both teenagers chuckled at this, catching each other's gazes for a moment.

Wakka once again found himself marveling at the strange color of Lulu's eyes; he simply couldn't understand how someone's eyes could turn out such a...sexy color. He might not be particularly fond of the mage right at this moment, but he wasn't blind; she was very attractive. Lulu, meanwhile, began fighting off thoughts of drowning as soon as she met Wakka's warm gaze. The red-russet of his eyes almost reminded her of milk chocolate, and she could feel a seemingly magnetic pull drawing her to them as they had before.

"Can we play now?" Jade's request broke the moment, and Lulu looked away as Wakka sighed and turned his attention to the girl.

"Yeah sure, Jade. Let's go, Lu." He replied, rising to his feet and gesturing to the backyard.

Lulu looked surprised that he'd addressed her She would have normally flipped him the finger and gone to read, but since it was in regards to the little girl they both had a soft spot for, she too got to her feet and headed outside. "What are we going to play?" The mage asked as she closed the patio doors behind them.

"Dunno..." Wakka replied, scratching his head in a gesture that bordered on cute as he placed Jade on the grass.

But the girl already knew full well what she wanted to do. "Tag! You're it, Daddy!" She exclaimed, slapping Wakka's leg and tearing off across the expansive lawn.

A predatory grin spread across Wakka's face as he turned to Lulu, and the mage suddenly realized that she was wearing a skirt: not exactly the best apparel for tag! Still, she wasn't really faced with any other option but to run when Wakka advanced towards her with long strides. He cackled evilly as she took off running, faster than she thought possible with her current wardrobe. The skirt rode up as she extended her legs, and she was grateful that it was made of a silky material that slid up her legs and stretched when she ran.

Wakka was grateful for it as well, but for different reasons.

He chased her for a few moments, which surprised him; he hadn't thought that she could out-distance him for as long as she did, what with her being so much shorter. He finally caught up with her when she turned to avoid him. He had anticipated the sharp turn and had run straight so as to cut her off. Out of reflexive blitzball habit, Wakka leaped and tackled the mage onto the grass instead of merely tagging her, rolling several times until he had her pinned beneath his weight.

They ended up lying in such a position that Wakka was able to pin her arms above her head, holding her wrists gently, yet firmly, in his hands. Their legs were entangled, and Wakka was holding himself above her by propping himself up on his elbows so as not to crush her. Their breathing was fast, and their faces were closer than either deemed safe. Nonetheless, neither found it a top priority to try and move, even though Lulu was now technically 'It' and Wakka should have been running to escape from her.

Lulu knew that she could fight the impulse to kiss the Besaidian when they were standing apart from each other, but it was impossible to resist when they were lying such as they were. Just as her eyes reflexively began to drift closed and Wakka dipped his head down to meet her, an incessant ringing filled their ears. Wakka growled in frustration, releasing his hold of Lulu's right wrist to grab the cell phone that hung at his waist.

He flipped it open and held it to his ear, shifting his weight to his left arm as he did so. "Yeah?"

"Wakka! It's Damien." Came the voice from the other end.

"Whadda ya want, man?" Wakka replied, managing to prevent most of his annoyance from leaking into his tone.

The twin didn't seem to notice. "Are you coming over to Leathen's house tonight? We're all gonna wind down before the games tomorrow."

Wakka hesitated, his lips beginning to form words along the lines of 'I'll be there soon'. He gazed down at Lulu, lying flushed beneath him, and he just couldn't force himself to accept the invitation.

"Nah, I don't think so, Dante--shit! Sorry Damien..." He could hear the twin's chuckle on the other end. "I got somethin' else planned. Sorry, man."

Lulu couldn't believe what she was hearing; since she was in such close proximity, she could hear what Damien was saying as well as how Wakka was replying. She had to admit, she was actually...glad that he wanted to stay here...or at least, that's what she was assuming he meant by saying that he had other plans...

"Hey no problem! See you at the tourney then!" Damien replied.

"Yeah, see ya." Wakka responded before snapping the phone shut and replacing it at his hip. He also replaced his hand on her wrist, which hadn't moved, and smirked down at her.

"I'm surprised." Lulu said, trying her best not to smirk right back at the pretentious bastard.

"I'm hurt..." He retorted, feigning pain by means of a faked flinch. "Where were we?"

"You know I don't exactly recall-"

She was promptly cut off by Wakka's lips descending on her own, and the only sound she made was a quiet sound of resignation as she lifted her head to press more into the kiss. White-hot shocks raced through her system, and Lulu remembered all too well why she had wanted to kiss this dumb Besaidian again after they'd first embraced several days ago. She felt her stomach churning in a most delightful way, and she pulled her right wrist free so she could trace her fingers up the tanned arm supporting the blitzer.

As they exchanged several passionate, but still innocent, kisses Wakka found himself singing praises in his head. He was suddenly very glad that he'd turned down Damien's offer, and he was still trying to figure out what it was that had made him speak the declining words. Finding that he really didn't care at the moment, Wakka brought one hand to Lulu's waist, caressing the inch of bare pale skin there that had been exposed as her shirt had ridden up in their tussle. His arm tingled where she touched it and he noticed, quite happily, that she moved so that her shirt moved upwards a slight bit more when his fingers lighted on her skin.

He had to fight to quell his surprise when he felt her tongue tracing his bottom lip in a way he was certain should be illegal. Just as he was about to open his mouth and meet her tongue for an overdue game of tonsil hockey, they were interrupted.

"Daddy! Which one of you guys is it?!" Jade yelled, running up beside them just as they pulled apart, which they did reluctantly.

Lulu looked up at Wakka, taking in his slightly swollen lips and frustrated expression, and smiled.

"I am!" She yelled suddenly, pushing Wakka off of her and getting to her feet, chasing after the girl with a wide smile still on her face. Jade squealed and took off, which left Wakka lying on his back, quite discontented. He could still feel that warm, soft tongue on his lip, and as he rose to his feet to re-join the game he vowed to gain a rematch with it as soon as was humanly possible.

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"Puppy!" Kieran's excited cry pierced the heavy silence inside the vehicle, causing Yuna to jump slightly in her seat. "Look!" The boy continued, pointing towards a large dog that was loping down the sidewalk.

Yuna smiled, despite her gloomy mood, and reached over to gently ruffle Kieran's chocolate locks. She returned her gaze to the intersection lights before her just as they turned from red to green, and she pushed on the gas pedal with much more force than was necessary.

Kieran waved to the dog as it fell behind their car, grinning broadly as only an innocent child can. "Where are we going?" He asked spontaneously, their destination already long forgotten in his mind.

"We're going to see Sir Auron, remember?" Yuna replied, glancing over at the boy to find that his ice blue gaze was turned upon her instead of the passing buildings. Kieran's grin returned and he shifted in his seat so as to get a better view of the things outside the car. "Okay, I 'member now!"

The smile remained on the boy's face. Yuna, however, unconsciously recalled the reasons she had taken Kieran and left the house in the first place, and could not muster a smile of her own. Both her dark dreams and Tidus' angry voice filled her aching head, and she found herself wondering amazingly at how Kieran could forget hearing someone get angry so easily. Her face fell when she realized that living in an orphanage like he had, he'd probably been exposed to stressed and angered adults much more than he should have been.

'Maybe...he was right about that...' She mused, recollecting the words that the blitzer had let slip past his lips less than ten minutes prior.

Shaking her head to try and clear it of dark thoughts, Yuna reached out and turned up the volume on her radio. The sad love ballad that was playing did nothing to improve her mood, only adding something else to the gloom that hovered above her like a cloud. It reminded her, with its slow beat and lyrics about longing for love, that she had never had a boyfriend. She had never had someone she could lean back against after a particularly hard day and relax into his arms as he soothed away her tension just by holding her tightly. She had never had someone to kiss when she felt the need to be kissed, or touch when she was compelled by the sheer human need for contact, or phone late at night and talk to when sleep was being particularly elusive. She had never had it and even though it sounded, even to her own mind, like something out of a novel that was all but impossible in the real world, she still craved it just the same.

'I at least want someone I can...kiss and...' A blush lightly colored her cheeks as she began to imagine all of the things she wanted to try before her next birthday, and it faded as she realized that the likelihood of any of it happening was very, very slight.

Just when she thought that she could sink no further into the quicksand of teenage longing and worries over low self-esteem, 28th Avenue came into her view and she made a rather sharp right turn. She drove down this road for a few minutes, watching the strip malls and houses fall behind her car with a lazy eye. Upon spotting the entrance to a large residential area, she drove towards and through it and began searching out the somewhat elusive street that she could never seem to find on her first try. Bearing this in mind, she decided to try a new tactic to try and prevent her from getting lost practically at Auron's front door...again.

"Kieran?" She inquired, briefly turning to check that she had his attention, "I want you to keep an eye out for a sign that has the numbers 14 and 17 on it, okay?"

"Okay...Ummm....Mommy?" Kieran replied, looking out the window at something they were going past.

"Yeah?"

"...You just passed that thing."

".......Oh." Yuna sighed and brought her car around the concrete street divider to her left, turning left once more at the sign she had passed right by...again.

She pulled up to a two-story house that looked to be owned by some kind of weapons enthusiast. Coincidentally, it was. Two highly polished suits of traditional samurai armor stood as sentinels on either side of grand looking front doors made of wood. The yard was devoid of any flowers or brightly colored plant life, but was home to two magnificently matured willow trees that shaded the driveway and the garage from the afternoon sun.

She and Kieran made their way to the doors, and Yuna rang the doorbell as the boy beside her beheld the armor with such adoration that one would think he was hero-worshipping. It took only a moment for the door to swing open and reveal the house owner, Auron. He stood before them in a deep crimson turtleneck and black business slacks, the newspaper clutched in one hand.

He raised his un-scarred eyebrow at the young summoner, and glanced briefly at Kieran as he greeted her. "Missed the turn again, didn't you?"

"Ha ha, very funny; let's all laugh at Yuna, the poor girl who can't read numbers!" Yuna joked as she saw the very slight smirk that appeared at the corner of the former guardian's mouth.

Auron smiled and moved aside to allow them entry into his home. It wasn't as decorated as one would assume, with comfortable looking, yet not much, furniture and no feminine touches whatsoever. The walls of the living room were a very different story, however.

As Auron led them into the room, Yuna looked down at Kieran and watched his reaction to it with a smile on her face. Swords of every kind imaginable covered the walls, shining as the light streaming in from the windows hit their reflective, polished surfaces. There were katanas from every era, highly decorative fencing sabers, broadswords, double-bladed and double-edged swords, scimitars, long-swords, rapiers, and a huge Spadone hanging over the fireplace and demanding the most attention. The boy was clearly in awe, and even Auron was brought to amusement as he took his seat in an armchair near the hearth and watched his expressions change between reverence, awe, curiosity, and childish longing.

"So what do you think of them?" The former guardian asked, folding the newspaper in his lap and regarding the boy with a curious expression. Yuna smiled; she knew Auron had always had a soft spot for children.

"They're...so cool!" Kieran replied, apparently over his initial shock. A grin spread across his face as he stepped forward and examined a beautifully detailed katana that hung on the wall at his eye-level. He reached out a hand to touch the shiny wooden hilt, but stopped suddenly as if afraid to be burned by the sword. Keeping his hand frozen in mid-air, he turned tentatively to Auron to ask for permission.

Auron spoke first, already knowing what the child wanted. "You can touch it, but try not to take it down from the wall; you could hurt yourself." His tone was gentle, but there was an underlying concern that did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. Watching Kieran out of the corner of his eye, Auron gestured to the chair on the other side of the coffee table. "Please sit, Yuna."

The young summoner obliged, situating herself in a cross-legged position on the comfortable furniture with ease. She leaned back against the soft cushioning, her gaze traveling from Kieran to the raging flames inside the fireplace. She briefly pondered how Auron could stand having the fire so built up in the summertime, but shrugged it off, recognizing that he was also wearing a thick sweater.

Setting his newspaper on the coffee table, Auron decided to get right to the heart of the visit whilst Kieran was quietly occupied. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"My dreams...they've gotten much more vivid and they happen a lot more often." Yuna replied softly, staring at her lap and watching her fingers fidget. This particular subject was rather touchy with her, but she knew she had to talk about it at some point.

"What happens in these dreams? Is it always the same thing?" Auron questioned, sounding an awful lot like a psychiatrist.

Yuna shifted in the big armchair, glancing over her shoulder at Kieran. The boy was running his fingers along the hilt of a rapier, admiring the soft squishy leather. She sighed and replaced a strand of hair that had fallen forward into her face behind her ear. "It's the same dream, but every time I have it, it seems to get longer...like I'm slowly watching a movie piece by piece, you know?"

"But what happens exactly, Yuna?" Auron inquired again, noticing how uncomfortable the teenager was already. "What do you see?" The gentle firmness of his voice was enough to coax Yuna into explanation.

"I see..." She looked over her shoulder again to make sure Kieran was occupied, and when she turned back to Auron to speak again her voice was lowered. "I see Sin...rampaging in Bevelle like it never left."

"This is what's scaring you so much?" Auron's eyebrow was raised in question.

Yuna shook her head, her gaze still fixed on her lap. "Not just that, Auron. In my dream, I'm right there in Bevelle watching it destroy everything and...it turns to me at looks right at me with all of those horrible eyes..." She shivered unconsciously; Yuna had actually seen Sin when she was twelve, when vacationing with her family in Luca. It had risen out of the water like some ocean-dwelling demon from legend, but hadn't advanced on the beach like everyone expected. It just sat there, observing the terrified people as if amused by their fear. After twenty long minutes, it turned and disappeared back beneath the waves as if it had never been.

Auron took her pause as an opening to try and lighten the situation; something he would normally never bother to do. "Yes, it's not exactly a pretty sight to behold..." He was rewarded with a slight smile and another sigh before Yuna continued.

"It speaks to me...It says 'I'm sorry' over and over again, even as it's trampling buildings and people!" The young woman sounded slightly angered by this, but Auron didn't press, allowing her to go on. "And just last night...it finally stopped apologizing and it turned to me again. It flashed for a second, as if it was a hologram or something, and then went back to normal. It flickered like that a few times, but I woke up before anything else new happened." Yuna spoke as if she was disappointed by this; as if she had expected Sin to flicker into another form.

Auron was silent for a moment, and they both observed Kieran as he continued on his way around the perimeter of the room, closely scrutinizing each and every sword within his reach. Running his fingers down the length of the weapons, the boy looked so happy he seemed fit to burst.

"So...you find these dreams to be overly frightening?" Crossing his arms over his chest, Auron looked slightly puzzled.

"They feel...like they're..." Yuna's gaze wandered from her lap to the fireplace as she searched her mind for the right word. "...prophetic, if that makes sense..."

Auron attempted to clarify. "You feel like what you see will come to pass?"

Yuna nodded, finally looking up and meeting his gaze. The ex-guardian could clearly see that the young woman honestly believed her dreams to be premonitory, even though the idea was slightly far-fetched.

Rising to his feet, Auron motioned for Yuna to follow him. She did, calling over her shoulder to Kieran that she'd be right back. She soon found herself in a large kitchen, where Auron was pouring himself a cup of Green tea.

"Would you like something?" He asked, stirring a very small amount of white sugar into the cup.

Yuna helped herself to a glass from the cupboard. "I'll just have some water." She filled the dark blue glass with cold distilled water from the fridge and took a sip, leaning back against the counter.

"Well..." Auron spoke after a moment, pausing to sip on his tea. "Sin was banished only a year ago, so..." He held back again, this time out of respect for Braska's memory. It was an unconscious thing he always did when speaking of his friend's recent defeat of the monster. "Even if these dreams of yours become reality, we won't have to deal with the repercussions for another nine years. The Calm will hold it off for that long at least..."

Yuna nodded her agreement, glad to finally be reassured. She had thought the same things all along, but she simply needed to have her fears alleviated by another person she trusted.

"Now, onto other matters." Auron said suddenly, replacing his cup in it's saucer on the countertop. Yuna looked up at this comment, her bi-colored eyes swimming with confusion. What else had she come to talk about?

"That Holy spell that you performed was quite advanced. Tidus also mentioned a force-field of some sort? Would you mind explaining, Yuna?" Auron's eyebrow was raised again, and Yuna suddenly remembered the events of the morning. She recalled everything clearly now that she had been reminded, especially the part where she had woken up in Tidus' warm embrace. She fought back the urge to blush as she pictured his bare, tanned chest again and remembered how comfortable being in his arms had been. The moment had been broken however and now...she was here.

After taking a gulp of her water, Yuna replied. "You talked to him?"

Auron nodded. "Yes. He called me after he brought you inside. Seemed concerned..."

Yuna scoffed lightly, avoiding Auron's gaze. 'He probably was just worried that he'd have my death on his conscience if I was hurt that badly...' She thought, recalling his angry face when she'd left the house.

"I'd read about the Holy spell more specifically in one of the books my father left for me...That was probably around three months ago, but after I had seen more in my dream I felt this crazy urge to know that I could properly protect myself. I mean, when I called you this morning and you told me to just go back to sleep and come visit later on, I was reassured of course, but I still didn't feel right about it." Yuna set her glass on the countertop and started wringing her hands in front of her, just one of her nervous habits.

"You also didn't tell me anything about your dream in detail." Auron reminded her, setting his now empty cup in the sink.

"I know... So I took the book out and reviewed the spell and how powerful it was. I..I didn't think I could do it, but my fear kind of fueled me, you know?" Auron nodded at this, and she went on. "When I found out how strong the magic was, even when it's used by a beginner like me, I knew I needed a couple of things for it to work without damaging anything..."

"You needed an enclosed area and a target to absorb the magic." Auron stated matter-of-factly.

Yuna met his gaze and nodded firmly. "Exactly. The enclosed area part I could handle, but I had no fiends around to target."

At her silence, Auron voiced another thought. "So how did you get one? Tidus said that you vaporized one to pyreflies with the spell."

"I...well, I....had help." Yuna admitted reluctantly, as if afraid. Doing nothing except raising an eyebrow, Auron simply leaned against the wall and waited for her to go on. "I was thinking about where to get a fiend, when Shiva's voice came into my head. She offered to go get one for me from the outskirts of the city so I agreed." Yuna fought off a sudden icy chill that spread from her neck to the base of her spine; Shiva was miffed that she was being blamed. "She was only helping, so I let her do it." The chill's bite subsided at this, but Yuna's flesh still remained pimpled from the glacial cold flash.

"You do realize that she could have been spotted?" Yuna nodded slowly, looking at the floor tile. "What would people have assumed then?"

"I don't know, Auron. I didn't think about it, okay?" Her sharp reply wasn't exactly surprising, but Auron was still not used to it. "Anyway, she brought back a Machea from one of the Gagazet Caves and froze it until I was ready. I summoned up Shell and Protect spells at the same time and forced them to leave my body as one complete casting. It naturally formed a kind of circular form, so I just forced it to assume a dome shape over the yard. Shiva was already in the area with the fiend, so I just dismiss her and used a Nul-Frost spell on the Machea to thaw it out." Yuna smiled slightly, as the concept of shoving a fiend into a microwave oven and hitting 'Defrost' was quite amusing, and this was how one usually thawed something.

"And I take it the spell worked?" Auron inquired, already knowing.

"Yes, it did. It really shocked my system though..." Yuna trailed off, wondering if performing that spell before she was technically ready had done anything harmful to her body.

"Mommy, Mommy!" Kieran chose that instant to come tearing into the kitchen, his dark blue eyes wide and a broad smile on his face. He dashed over to her and started pulling on her pajama pant leg vigorously.

"What is it?" Yuna questioned, unable to hold back the smile that blossomed on her own face. Auron looked particularly amused as well.

"He has an Air Hockey table!!" The boy practically screamed, pulling at Yuna with even more enthusiasm.

Yuna raised an eyebrow at the tall ex-guardian as she allowed herself to be pulled past him towards the hallway. Auron merely smirked as he pushed off from the wall and followed them, not at all annoyed at being interrupted.

"It was an impulse purchase."

--------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe that girl!" Tidus growled angrily, staring at his clenched fist. His knuckles were already beginning to darken as a bruise began to paint itself on his skin. "I say one little thing about that damn kid and she's all pissed off! Damnit..." He trailed off, running the hand that wasn't throbbing through his jagged blonde hair.

The blitz ace couldn't have told an observer why he was so angry at Yuna leaving. She was going to go visit Auron today anyway, after all. But she had left angry, angry at Tidus for being a 'jerk'. And for some reason, her being pissed at him was something that genuinely bothered him and nagged at his mind when he tried to ignore it. He had to admit, the summoner had gotten under his skin quite fast.

Muttering a string of curses under his breath, Tidus pushed against the wall and slid up to a standing position. He glanced down at the dents he'd made in the wall, shaking his head at himself almost in disappointment. He knew full well that he often let his quick temper get the best of him, and it had cost him quite dearly in the past. Suddenly recalling something Leathen had said to him the night before at Jecht's house, Tidus strode out of the weight room and headed outside, not even bothering with shoes.

Reaching into the mailbox mounted next to the front door, his searching fingers lighted upon two rather thick envelopes. Extracting both and returning to the house, he glanced at both as he made his way to the living room. He collapsed onto the same couch he'd laid Yuna on just a short while ago, skimming over the return addresses on both tan-colored envelopes. One was from his school, undoubtedly regarding the project. Tidus briefly contemplated opening it, but put it aside upon thinking that Yuna would probably want to read it WITH him instead of on her own.

Just as this totally-unlike-Tidus thought entered his mind and was processed, it was forgotten as his cerulean eyes took in the sender of the second envelope. Bevelle Sports Camp. He grinned broadly and ripped open the package, tossing it down onto the couch beside him as he eagerly unfolded the papers inside.

The first page was a letter from the director of the facility, a personal letter thanking Tidus for taking the time to consider the contents of the package. It briefly outlined what was to be discussed in the rest of the document, which was namely Tidus attending the camp the following September, and thanked him several times for expressing interest in the camp.

Over the next half-hour, Tidus read through page after page of information about the Camp itself. He was informed about dormitories and housing around the area for students to occupy, costs per semester, and what he was to actually be doing at the facility. Basically, it was a dream for any aspiring or already professional blitzball players, and it was very difficult to get in. It was a huge ego boost to Tidus that he was being invited with this letter; he didn't even have to apply! On one page it even stated that he had been recommended for acceptance by several people, like the President of the S.B.A. and Sir Auron. He also noted, with slight surprise, that his father had also put in a letter of recommendation in his favor.

He let the papers fall down onto his lap with a grin on his face, imagining all of the things he could do down in Bevelle with his father nowhere near to stop him. Feeling assured that Wakka would also get an invitation, Tidus allowed himself to get caught up briefly in his thoughts. His imaginings of off-the-wall parties all the time, constant blitzball activities and hot athletic girls that were just as obsessed with the sport as he was kept him busy for a few minutes, until he was brought back down to reality by the harsh ringing of his video-phone.

He leapt up from the couch and ran to check the call display, smiling when he saw Jaxon's cell phone number flashing in blue. He pressed the flashing "Accept Call" button and waited for the redhead's face to appear before him. It did, and Tidus could see from the background that his teammate was in an immobile truck, using the small vid-phone mounted inside.

"Hey Jax! What's up?"

"We're all goin' over to Leathen's tonight for a little...wind down before the tournament. You in? Hurry up you jerk-offs!" Jaxon directed the last sentence to several people outside the vehicle that were currently climbing in.

"Hey it's Tidus!" Dante exclaimed upon catching sight of the blonde on the screen. He had settled into the seat to Jaxon's right and was clutching a paper bag in his lap.

"Hey Dante; where's the bro?" Tidus questioned, not having to wait for his answer long as Damien slid into the other seat beside Jaxon and slammed the trucks' back door shut.

"Right here! So are you coming tonight? Wakka already bailed on me!" The twin looked hurt, but Tidus could tell that it was all an act.

"Yeah I'll be there...Why do you guys have bags with you?" Tidus noticed that both twins were holding onto bags.

"Just stopped at the booze barn, my friend!" Came yet another voice, this time from, Tidus assumed, the front seat.

Tidus chuckled and shook his head. "Leathen, is that you, man?"

"Yup! Got Jarvis here with us too; say 'hi' dip-shit!" Leathen replied, directing his last comment jokingly at the defense-man seated shotgun.

"Hey Tidus! You better show up tonight!" Jarvis called.

"Alright, you've convinced me." Tidus said, laughing quietly and Dante and Damien began arguing over who could drink more without passing out.

"Alright! Head over to Leath's, and we'll see you there! Out!" Jaxon responded, hanging up after he saluted mockingly.

Tidus chuckled to himself again, terminating the call on his own phone and heading to the stairs. Leathen's parties usually consisted of the entire city and then some being invited, which meant lots of girls. This meant, in turn, that Tidus actually had to dress in a way that flattered his blitzball-sculpted body. This was never a problem.

He took the stairs two at a time, in a very jovial mood, and covered the distance of the hall and into his room in several long strides. He went directly into the shower, pulling off his clothes as he went to save time and throwing them on the floor. He washed his hair and body thoroughly, somehow not feeling totally clean until after he'd scrubbed his skin several times over. After toweling dry his hair and body, he went straight to his closet and studied what he found quite seriously.

He selected several outfits and threw them on the bed for examination. After several minutes of careful deliberation, he chose one. It consisted of a pair of loose-fitting, black cargo pants and a navy T-shirt that he left un-tucked. It had a slight v-neck and hugged his chest quite well for being a supposedly unflattering T-shirt. He slipped a black leather belt through the loops and secured it around his waist and went over to his dresser. Whilst spritzing himself with his favorite cologne, he shook his head several times and watched as his hair took its usual form of jagged spikes that fell surprisingly neatly about his head.

As a final touch he pulled on some socks and put on his Zanarkand Abes necklace, admiring the shiny silver in the mirror for a brief moment. He doubled back into the bathroom and brushed his teeth before finally leaving his room and returning downstairs. Grabbing his car keys from the kitchen table and placing them in his pocket, he moved to the front door and put on his runners. Just as he was about to leave he hesitated and strode back into the kitchen in a somewhat frustrated manner.

He hastily scrawled down a note to Yuna explaining where he'd gone, wondering out-loud why he was even doing it. After he finished, he walked out the front door, locking it behind him with a resounding click. As he climbed into his car, he vaguely wondered if he was even going to bother returning home at the end of the night. He imagined what Yuna's reaction would be if he came home late again, and he decided that he'd had quite enough of the beautiful summoner occupying his every thought.

He would stay at Leathen's that night, and would thereby avoid the hurtful gaze of azure and emerald that somehow tore him up inside...

TBC


End file.
